Nairobi Women Representative Esther Passaris has joined thousands of Kenyans in solidarity with South Africa, calling for gender-based violence (GBV) to be declared a national disaster.
In a post on her official X account, Passaris stressed that GBV is not only a South African issue but a global pandemic affecting communities everywhere. “I stand in solidarity with South Africa in calling for SGBV to be declared a national disaster. This is not just a South African issue; it’s a global pandemic. It touches close to home. We continue to speak, we continue to act,” she wrote.
Rallying behind the Purple Week movement, Passaris honored Kenyan women whose lives were tragically cut short due to gender-based violence, naming Agnes Tirop, Rita Waeni, Starlet Wahu, Amanda Mutheu, and Susan Nabwire among others. She urged the public to remember victims and survivors alike: “Say their names, victims, survivors, women, and children such as Amanda. For her. For me. For you.”
Purple Week, which has gained momentum across Africa, encourages people to turn their social media profiles purple as a show of digital solidarity. The movement aims to amplify calls for urgent action against GBV and femicide ahead of the G20 Women’s Shutdown on November 21, 2025.
In West Pokot County, human rights activist Emmanuel Ng’olepus Kiptoo shared his experiences growing up in a marginalized pastoralist community, highlighting the prevalence of female genital mutilation and early forced marriages. Ng’olepus condemned these practices, stating, “GBV was normalised, FGM/C was part of life, and early and forced marriages were a family survival card, but I stand to say NO.”
The Purple Week campaign, which began locally in South Africa, has now become a continental call for justice. The wave of purple profiles on social media symbolizes a unified demand to recognize GBV as a crisis and ensure the protection of women and children across Africa.
