𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬: 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐁𝐕 /𝐒𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬.

𝑰𝒕𝒆𝒏, 𝑲𝒆𝒏𝒚𝒂 – 𝑴𝒂𝒚 26, 2025

In a bold and timely move to address gender-based violence in athletics training camps, key stakeholders from across Kenya’s North Rift region have converged in Iten for a high-level sensitization and planning forum. The forum, convened by the Centre for Enhancing Democracy and Good Governance. (CEDGG) in partnership with UNFPA Kenya and the Gender Technical Working Group (GTWG) of Elgeyo Marakwet County, seeks to translate policy into practice by equipping coaches, athletes, camp managers, and duty bearers with the tools and knowledge to detect, prevent and respond to Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (SEAH) in sports environments.

At the heart of the workshop is a powerful mission:𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 (𝗦𝗢𝗣𝘀) 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗔𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗛) from paper to practice.

“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝑶𝑷𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂 𝒅𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒚, 𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆,” emphasized Paul Masese, CEO of CEDGG. “𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.”

UNFPA Kenya, the primary supporter of the initiative, reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to a future free from GBV. Their representatives echoed their mantra of“𝒁𝒆𝒓𝒐 𝑻𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝑺𝒆𝒙𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝑨𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒆,” reiterating that the path to ending GBV in athletics is long, but vital steps are being taken.

The workshop has provided a rare and safe platform for athletes to speak openly, many for the first time, about their personal experiences, concerns, and suggestions. From stories of unspoken abuse to the emotional toll of family-related conflicts interfering with training, the candidness from athletes is both sobering and inspiring.

One female athlete shares,

“𝑳𝒆𝒕’𝒔 𝒃𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒃𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚. 𝑾𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒆.”

Emerging themes include intimate partner violence within marriages, family interference in athletes’ personal lives, and rising cases of alleged infidelity some with tragic consequences. Health officials raising alarm about increasing incidents of teenage pregnancy and risky sexual behavior among young girls who, shockingly, fear pregnancy more than HIV.

“𝑾𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒙𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑯𝑰𝑽 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒈𝒎𝒂 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒚. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒖𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒙𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔,” noted one health representative.

Teachers present at the forum are stressing the need to address GBV prevention from early childhood through the school system.

“𝑺𝒆𝒙𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒙 𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒂 𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊-𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉. 𝑰𝒇 𝒘𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚, 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒖𝒑 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔,” one teacher emphasized.

The coaches, too, voiced their support for the initiative, sharing efforts being made in camps to create safer environments. From background checks on new athletes to implementing internal monitoring systems, several are already taking proactive steps to prevent abuse.

“𝑰𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒑, 𝒘𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒅𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔,” said one coach.

The presence of duty bearers from the ministries of health and gender further strengthened the forum’s resolve. They listened keenly to the issues raised and committed to prompt, decisive responses.

“𝑾𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒄𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒖𝒎 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓,” said a government official.

𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲-𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐁𝐕 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬.

As conversations around Gender Based Violence (GBV) deepens within the athletics community, a new and increasingly prevalent threat has emerged Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV). This form of abuse, which includes online harassment, non-consensual sharing of images, cyberstalking, and digital blackmail, is becoming a growing concern among athletes, especially young women.

Recognizing the urgency of this issue, Masese emphasized the need for a proactive and informed response.

“TFGBV has become rampant and there is need to use technology respectfully. We must safeguard our personal and private digital spaces,” Masese Kemunche noted.