Employment and Labour Relations court personnel sensitized on HIV and Sexual and Gender Based Violence

‘This training has been an eye opener to so many issues. I cannot thank the organizers enough for the sessions. Personally, I have two children that I think will also benefit from the discussions that we have held the past two days, particularly the personal testimonies’

These were the sentiments of one of the participants, during the closing ceremony of a two day colloquium that was held in Nakuru County held on 16 – 17 September 2016.  The Colloquium was titled ‘HIV, SGVB and human rights’ and targeted at least 37 judges, magistrates and other staff members of the Employment and Labour Relations Court.

The colloquium was conducted in partnership with the Employment and Labour Relations Court, National AIDS Control Council (NACC), National Empowerment Network of People living with HIV & AIDS in Kenya (NEPHAK), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and KELIN.

The sessions at the colloquium combined informative lectures with case studies, experience sharing, practical exercises and group work to enrich the learning experience of participants. KELIN’s participation was of significant impact in influencing the dialogue with the Court on strengthening a functional judicial system that will undertake more research and setting nationwide, landmark precedence on HIV and Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV).

At the end of the workshop, the Court committed to taking forward a number of action points including:

  • Need to develop a compendium of decided cases that the Court has engaged in on HIV and SGBV issues;
  • Incorporation of organizations working on HIV and SGBV within the Court Users Committee (CUC); and
  • Collaboration with the HIV & AIDS Equity Tribunal to avoid duplication of efforts.

This meeting goes toward fulfilling KELIN’s broader strategy, in its 2015 – 2019 strategic plan, to create key partnerships at county, national, regional and global levels for better delivery of our mandate.

To contribute to the discussions on this forum, follow KELIN on our social media platforms: Twitter: @KELINKenya #HIVLaw or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kelinkenya

For more information contact:

Tabitha Saoyo – Programme Manager

Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, KELIN

4th Floor, Somak Building, Mombasa Road

Tel +254202515790; Cell +254 790 339963;

Email:tsaoyo@kelinkenya.org