Hundreds of women have turned out on the streets of the Kenyan capital
today to defend their right to wear what they choose after a woman was
stripped and beaten for wearing a miniskirt.
The attack, which took place last week at a busy bus stop in Nairobi's
Central Business District, involved dozens of men who surrounded the
woman, tore off her clothes and forced her to the ground.
Local media said the men, who are believed to have been ticket touts,
had said the woman was "indecently dressed", and accused her of
"tempting" them.
A video of the incident later emerged online, showing the men calling
the woman "jezebel" as she cried for help. The footage has sparked
debate in Kenya, with many Kenyans taking to social media to condemn
the video, uniting under the hashtag #MyDressMyChoice.
Today the Facebook group Kilimani Mums organised a "miniskirt protest"
in central Nairobi to defend their right to wear what they choose
Whether they wear a bui bui or a mini skirt...Let us make our ladies
feel safe..
On their event page they wrote: "This morning we as Kilimani Mums met
and decided that we shall hold a peaceful procession to Accra Road."
"This is our chance to stand together as women and deliver a message
to our country that sexual violence will not be tolerated."
It is reported that over 200 people attended the march.
Hours after the protest departed from Uhuru Park to where the attack
took place on the Accra Road, reports began to circulate of clashes
with the ticket touts.
Kenya's Ghetto Radio reported that the men confronted protestors and
argued they would "continue to strip women who are dressed skimpily."
The victim of the attack remains anonymous. Police chief David Kimaiyo
appealed to her to lodge an official complaint with police so that the
incident can be investigated, according to the BBC
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/17/kenya-mydressmychoice-protest-woman-stripped
Photo-credit; Photograph: Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images
