Technology Facilitated Gender- Based Violence and  Mental Health Capacity Building Training

Date: December 04-03 2024; 0830 – 1600 hours I Venue: Hotel Grenada, Mandera County

1. Introduction

Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) represents a growing threat to women and girls in Kenya, particularly in marginalized counties like Mandera where digital literacy is limited, yet mobile technology adoption continues to increase. While Kenya has made significant strides in addressing cybercrime through legislation such as the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act (2018), implementation gaps remain pronounced across the board and especially in counties with limited resources and technical capacity.

KICTANet in collaboration with the British High Commission in Kenya is carrying out a capacity-building initiative targeting women, girls, police officers and mental health professionals in Mandera County, aiming to establish effective collaborative mechanisms for TFGBV response within the unique socio-cultural context of Kenya’s northeastern region. The initiative aligns with KICTANet’s commitment to promoting responsible use of ICT and protecting digital rights of vulnerable populations.

2. Background

As technology continues to grow, its benefits have also increased including helping to connect people, ease in access to products and services and promotion of growth in countries’ economies. However, despite these benefits, challenges such as limited digital literacy, rural-urban digital divide and gender digital divide still persist. These challenges exacerbate the exposure of individuals and especially women and girls in marginalised arid and semi-arid regions such as Mandera more susceptible to TFGBV.

Additionally, law enforcement and mental health officials in these regions have been left behind in capacity building initiatives related to TFGBV further barring survivors of TFGBV from accessing care, legal and mental health support. 

3.  Objectives of the Capacity Building Initiative

The objective of this training is to:

  1. To raise awareness of 30 women and girls drawn from Mandera county on different forms of TFGBV, its effects and reporting mechanisms.
  2. To build the technical capacity of 30 police officers and 30 mental health professionals in responding to TFGBV cases in Mandera County.
  3. To establish sustainable coordination mechanisms between law enforcement and mental health services for comprehensive TFGBV case management.

4. Expected Outcomes

  1. Enhanced coordination between police and mental health services.
  2. Increased quality and accessibility of services for TFGBV survivors.
  3. Reduced prevalence of TFGBV through deterrence and prevention.
  1. Format of the Training

This training will be held in-person in Mandera County at Grenada Hotel on the 3rd to 4th March 2025. 

  1. Participants 

This capacity building initiative aims to bring together at least 90 participants representing women, girls, law enforcement and mental health officials drawn from Mandera County. 

  1. About KICTANet

KICTANet is a multi stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested in ICT policy. The network acts as a think tank that catalyses policy reforms in the ICT sector, and it is guided by four pillars: policy advocacy, stakeholder engagement, capacity building and research. KICTANet’s guiding philosophy is that of encouraging synergies for ICT policy-related activities and initiatives. As such, the network provides mechanisms and a framework for continuing cooperation and collaboration in ICT matters among industry, technical community, academia, media, development partners, and Government.

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