Abused women find freedom in Kenyan village where men are banned
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[February 17, 2023]
By Jeff Kahinju and Monicah Mwangi
UMOJA, Kenya (Reuters) - The thorny trees and dung-caked homes of Umoja
village make it resemble any other in Kenya's northeastern Samburu
region, except in one key detail - the absence of men.
Since it was established over 30 years ago, Umoja has provided a refuge
for women from the Samburu community and beyond fleeing female genital
mutilation, domestic abuse or child marriage.
"I used to be mistreated but now I feel free," said 26-year-old
Christine Sitiyan, a mother of four who abandoned her marriage because
her husband physically assaulted her.
Losing hope in the relationship, she first tried to return to her home
village, but the cattle used as a dowry to secure her marriage had been
stolen.
"When I went back home, I was just sent back to my husband because my
mum did not have the livestock to give back," said Sitiyan, who was
adorned in a kaleidoscope of beadwork commonly worn by Samburu women.
Her only option was to move to Umoja.
Three decades ago, Rebecca Lolosoli felt compelled to speak out about
the violence she experienced at home and witnessed against women in her
society, which is heavily male-dominated.
When her advocacy was met with hostility, she and 15 other women came
together to form Umoja -- which means unity -- a village where men are
banned.
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Women from the Samburu tribe who escaped
from female genital mutilation and other gender based violence carry
firewood on their heads to be used as fuel at the Umoja village
where men are restricted, in Samburu near Archers Post in the
northern Samburu County, Kenya, February 7, 2023. REUTERS/Monicah
Mwangi
Now a thriving, self-sufficient
community of almost 40 families, the women make money selling
traditional beadwork to tourists, and from a nearby campsite.
As the village matriarch, time has done little to dim Lolosoli's
resolve.
"I am very proud to live in this village because now there is no one
stressing me, and my husband will not assault me here," she said. "I
live as a mother with children who is fighting for rights against
early marriages and FGM."
The village isn't free from problems: local men routinely steal
their cattle. But Sitiyan is in no hurry to let a man back into her
life.
"I do not desire to get married again because I went through a hard
time, I was being mistreated. I did not have rights and my children
were not allowed to go to school," she said. "Now, I am proud to be
a mother."
(Reporting by Jefferson Kahinju and Monicah Mwangi; Writing by
Hereward Holland; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
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