HALIMA MOHAMMED CRUSADES FOR WOMENS RIGHT
A woman has been a victim of all sins in this world.
Susan Anthony an American
social reformer and women rights activist who played a pivotal role in the
women's suffrage movement.
The scenario has not
changed to date and the fight for women rights is gaining momentum by the day,
Susan who was
prevented from speaking at a temperance conference because she was female. This the struggle has not come to an end since there are so many challenges that must be
overcome.
Halima
Mohamed founder and director of the Coast Education Center (COEC) has been on
the frontline fighting for women's rights in the Coast region and the nation at
large.
Her
vision led her to launch the Coast Women CVE charter which provides a framework
to involve women from the coastal region in the prevention and combating
violent extremism.
According
to Halima, the Coast Women CVE charter will also provide an action plan for all
stakeholders with proposed actions that aim to address unique issues faced by
traumatized and affected women.
She
wants women to face head-on the monster of violent extremism that has been
experienced in the region for decades.
Halima
desires to see women engaged in countering violent extremism.
“Women
have been victims of all sorts of abuse from bartering, violent extremism and neglect,"
she said.
She
decries the sate they go through since there are no rescue centers from such
victims and the only haven for such victims are orphanages or children's homes.
“When
a mother calls in the middle of the night she has been chased away by the
husband we have no secure place to take her but instead link them to any nearby
orphanage”. She narrates.
Through her hard work and motivation, she is
tirelessly working on a project on women against violent extremism (WAVE). Working
closely with women whose husbands and sons have been lured to join extremist
groups. These women are shunned and isolated by family members and
communities because of the relationships they have with their husbands and
sons.
“I’m
proud to have said we have a support group of 200 women at the coastal
counties that we support and work with. These women go through trauma and
depression, and as an institution we felt it's important to hold their hands to
help them psychologically by establishing a safe home for these women.
Women
have been historically and systematically marginalized through distinct social
and legal imperfections. Halima advocates the rights to get girls and women
empowered, women, taking upstands and leadership positions at both county and
national levels.
Halima
a member of the Women Alliance for security leadership (WASL) that brings
together existing women rights and peace practitioners, organizations, and
networks actively engaged in preventing extremism and promoting peace, rights,
and pluralism.
She
was among the featured speakers of the UN Group for the prevention of
violent extremism during a high-level meeting at the United Nations
convened by the governments of Norway and Jordan. Sharing a case study of Kenya
on psychosocial support on trauma healing on violent extremism.
Under
her speech Halima noted mothers are often the first to observe the early
warning signs of extremism in their families, as there is a need for women to
play a role in the prevention and resolution of conflicts in peacebuilding, urging
women to be equipped and supported in
their efforts to prevent their children from joining extremist groups.
As
early marriage infringes the rights of women and girls, Halima came up with a network of 600 girls at the Coast region who they work with to prevent early and
arranged forced marriages which impede girls education, psychological
wellbeing, and health.
“Many
factors interact to force a child into early marriage. The family believes that
marriage will provide protection, family honor, social norms not knowing they
are subjecting girl's development by resulting in early pregnancy and social
isolation. Interrupting her schooling, limiting her opportunities for career
and vocational advancement and placing her at increased risk of domestic
violence.
Also having a network of women by the name
‘mothers initiative’ that champion for the rights of both the children and the
girls.
In the last decade, she has been agitating for the rights of women and girls at
the grassroots level. Halima is committed to championing women's rights.
The
founder and director of Coast Education Center (COEC) stands and goes against
the tides where inequality touching on the girl child reigns.
Operating
as a community-based organization for eight years and officially registered in
2016 by NGO Coordination Board as a national organization, today Coast
Education Center operates into six Counties working with women and girls
empowerment in Lamu, Tana River, Taita Taveta, Kilifi, Mombasa, and Kwale.
As an institution, their niche is women and
girls and core thematic focus areas are Lands as a natural resource, democracy
and governance, peacebuilding and conflict transformation, women and youth
empowerment.
She
says girls and women from the Coast are disadvantaged in accessing education,
nutrition, legal rights, medical care, violence against women and early
marriage.
“While
growing up I witnessed young girls pregnant or drop out of school due to
poverty and forced marriages, which should not happen in this century.
Halima
believes that a girl's empowerment requires education, life skills, and
knowledge.
Men
and women have equal rights to opportunities in political-economic, cultural
and the social sphere according to the Kenyan constitution.
She
narrates how women are not taken seriously in this country despite fighting for
gender-equal rights.
“The the only person who can bring the change we need to start and initiate is
ourselves, women’’ she added.
In
her journey that has led a team of land experts in developing Mombasa County
Land Policy that was adopted in 2016 at the Mombasa county assembly, she has
championed for inclusion and administration of land that guides and facilitates
the Mombasa county integrated development plans.
Championing
women to inherit land or to own land, trying to educate and empower women to
understand land rights as women, to understand that they can inherit land both
using the secular and sharia law.
"Today
as an institution, we are happy to say that we have developed since 2016 the
first-ever Mombasa County Land Policy that looks at issues to do with the
acquisition of land, administration of land, usage of land and the interest of
women in ownership of land" Halima explains.
Today Mombasa County has a document that they can use to both protect the interest of women and the general public on issues of land ownership and also
the forced evictions that most of the time takes place within the counties.
Halima also champions human rights the perspective of women and gender rights, holding different forums in six counties
and trying to empower women and girls on their rights.
Making them understand both the girl child
right and women rights, and how to participate meaningfully in the decision
making in the county running affairs both in the budget-making process, to be
able to question and also audit for the things that the County propose to
them.
To
hold the state actors countable in different actions whether in health and
education.
The challenge that they face is funding; adding that funding is constrained because
every donor comes up with an objective of want they want and making them narrow
out-there ideas to what they want to fund.
Adding
girls and youth need to be at the lookout especially when approached as most of
the young girls are into social media that can easily be recruited.
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