National Guidelines on Management of Sexual Violence in Kenya

the policy framework from which specific guidelines have been developed. Kenya
has national guidelines for the medical management of rape and sexual violence 4 , a
trainer’s manual on clinical care for survivors of sexual violence (2007), and a trainer’s
manual for rape trauma counselors developed in November 2006. However, over
the years, there have been new developments in forensic issues and in the medicolegal
environment that have necessitated the review of these guidelines. The recent
experience of the massive sexual assaults during the 2007/2008 post election violence
has also further augmented the need to have appropriate guidelines that can inform
the service providers in such circumstances. The gaps that have continued to exist
in the legal frameworks as well as the service provision guidelines that govern the
operations of the various institutions have also brought to the fore the need to review
the guideline. These include the unclear distinction between the medical and the
legal aspects of sexual violence as well as the largely ignored need for psycho-social
support. Myths surrounding rape have also continued to hamper access to care by
survivors of sexual violence. (Some of the more popularly held misconceptions about
rape are summarized in the information for survivors in Annex 4). Prevailing myths
affect the way in which the society responds to rape and rape survivors. When these
myths go unchallenged, sometimes, rape is justified, and even condoned
It is against this background that the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation and
the Ministry of Medical Services collaborated with other stakeholders to develop
comprehensive guidelines that can adequately respond to the complex and often
diverse needs of sexual violence survivors and bridge the gaps that exist in legal
frameworks and service provision guidelines that are in place.
The <strong>Guidelines</strong> seek to address the medical, psycho-social, legal and humanitarian
aspects of sexual violence. The main goal is to ensure that the needs of survivors are
addressed as much as possible.
4 <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guidelines</strong> for Medical Management of Rape and Sexual Violence (2004)
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