Lobby group calls for concerted effort in addressing The Triple Threat in Nakuru

There is a need for concerted effort towards addressing The Triple Threat challenges in Nakuru County.

A call that was made during a consultative meeting held on April 24, 2024 in Nakuru on the role of sexuality in the ending of the same.

The Triple Threat is a term used to refer to Ending New HIV Infections, Adolescent Pregnancies, and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.

Speaking during the meeting, Sophie Hiuhu from Nakuru-based Women in Society Empowerment Organization pointed out that The Triple Threat remains a challenge hence the need for all stakeholders on board in addressing the same.

Having worked with several grassroot women groups in Nakuru, Sophie noted that the Triple Threat has continued to hinder development especially for women and girls in society.

“We all have responsibility on matters Ending New HIV Infections, Adolescent Pregnancies, and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence so that we can enable women and girls to become empowered and self-reliant,” she said.

Sentiments echoed by Kelvin Karuga from the Nakuru County Civil Society Network who decried that matters to do with comprehensive sexuality are rarely discussed openly.

According to Karuga, most of the sensitization is based on fear and superstitions with so much controversy where individuals are overcrowded with beliefs, cultures and laws both from the government and the local communities.

“Mostly these cultures are always conflicting with what the law entails and that has remained a hindrance in addressing The Triple Threat in society,” he noted.

On health workers’ perspective, Dr.Elizabeth Murage who has been working with survivors of Gender Based Violence cited late reporting as a major challenge in addressing issues GBV.

She pointed out that in such scenarios even following up on the same becomes difficult as no proper documentation is done.

“Late reporting of GBV creates gaps in the follow-up procedures since important documentation is not processed on time and in in-depth,” she stated.

The Medical Officer also noted emerging issues such as intimate-partner violence (including physical and sexual assaults amongst partners) as major threats in attempts to create a conducive environment for the conversation.

The stakeholders were also taken through question and answer session where issues such as how to deal with parents who are exposing children to high risks sexual behaviors.

Experts shared that in such scenarios, in the initial stages the parents are taken for counseling and advised on the best responsible ways of conducting intimacy, continued practice calls for legal procedures such as reporting and rescuing the child in the extreme cases.

The consultative meeting also resolved that workers should set clear boundaries to avert cases of sexual favors, and whenever such cases arise, then the perpetrators should face the legal arm.

Knowledge, Skills, Attitude and Values were cited as major TOOLS towards making a better society free from The Triple Threat.

It is a meeting that also saw religious leaders in attendance vow to strongly support and champion for Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) through initiating open conversations about sexuality and encouraging and supporting dialogues that promote CSE within their respective communities.

Teachers, religious leaders and the parents said they will support the work and initiatives of the county health team to address sexual gender-based violence in the community.

The consultative meeting also resolved that there is need for development of Tailored CSE Programs that should incorporate age-appropriate and culturally sensitive content, ensuring that they resonate with diverse audiences, strengthen inter-sectoral collaboration among government agencies, educational institutions, healthcare providers, religious organizations, and community groups to develop and implement comprehensive CSE initiatives.

This collaboration should involve joint planning, resource-sharing, and coordination of efforts to maximize impact, Train Educators and Service Providers on topics such as communication skills, gender sensitivity, and addressing diverse needs to ensure that professionals are equipped to facilitate meaningful discussions and provide accurate information.

Encouraging open communication and de-stigmatizing discussions about sexuality was also agreed upon as a component to help create supportive environments for young people with their parents, besides advocating for policies that support the integration of CSE into formal education curricula and healthcare services.