Kenya Miniskirt Protest: My Dress, My Choice Supporters Show Support For Woman Beaten By Men over 'Indecent' Outfit
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Protesters, including women dressed in miniskirts, demonstrated in the streets of Nairobi on Monday to show support for a Kenyan woman who was assaulted and stripped by a mob of men who claimed she was dressed indecently. The incident also sparked the #MyDressMyChoice hashtag on Twitter.
The assault of the woman at a Nairobi bus stop drew attention in Kenya last week after a witness posted video of the incident online. The video of the incident has since been taken down from YouTube, but you can see stills of the footage here. Local authorities said they were looking into the case, according to the Star, a Nairobi-based daily newspaper. The men called the victim a “Jezebel” and claimed she was “tempting” them by the way she was dressed before ripping her clothes off and kicking her body, the Star reported.
"When it comes to violence against women, there are no grounds for tolerance and no tolerable excuses. I hope that investigations will be carried out and the culprits charged for assault," Rachel Shebesh, a Kenyan politician and women’s representative for Nairobi County, said. "I strongly condemn violence against women in all its forms, whether it is domestic violence, rape, sexual harassment, torture and abuse of women. We must take tangible action to eliminate violence against women.”
Protesters descended on Uhuru Park in Nairobi and displayed banners including “My Dress, My Choice,” according to Al Jazeera. Some women also wore miniskirts in solidarity with the assaulted woman.
The incident also led to the #MyDressMyChoice campaign on Twitter, where users showed their support for the victim by tweeting out the hashtag:
Kenyan sisters! Can you feel my vibes? Sending you all my love, support and good juice today! #mydressmychoice
- Malaka Gyekye Grant (@AbenaGyekye) November 17, 2014
#MyDressMyChoice. This is a no-brainer. Nobody has the right to strip, molest, assault another just because you don't like their dressing.
- Macharia Gaitho (@MachariaGaitho) November 17, 2014
There's absltly no justification for stripping a woman naked skimpily dressed or otherwise. Equally rspnsbl dressing is key #MyDressMyChoice
- John Jacob Kioria (@JKioria) November 17, 2014
#MyDressMychoice We Respect and condemn all kind of Violence against Women. Kenya is a free country. A miniskirt is not an "Invitation"
- MeekieHumble_HutHead (@hutheadmuzik) November 17, 2014
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