Kenyan media personality Adelle Onyango has signed a book deal to co-author a book with J.J.Lanji Ouko.
The book documents the voices of survivors of rape, observers, family members, activists, nurses, lawyers and many others, who offer a glimpse of the different perceptions of violence.
Adelle Onyango, a survivor of rape herself, is a Kenyan media personality who has gained international recognition for her efforts to empower African women and youth.
She has been celebrated as one of Facebook’s 2019 Icons of Change; Africa Youth Awards 100 Most Influential Young Africans for 2019; and BBC’s 100 inspirational and innovative women in the world for 2017
She’s the founder of the Adelle Onyango Initiative that creates awareness on Gender Based Violence and runs a free group therapy program for survivors of rape.
J.J. Lanji Ouko is a seasoned author, lawyer & gender justice consultant. She is also the founder of Crevit Mulier & Co. a legal bureau, transforming Africa’s contemporary issues focused on gender justice policy reform & intervention in the fields of Criminal Law, Employment Law, Family Law & Land Law; through their institute of training, research center & their boutique publishing firm since 2015.
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Speaking on the book Adelle Onyango said:
“This book is very dear to me as a human being, as an African woman and as a survivor of rape as it amplifies voices of survivors in a way that have never been done before and it also shows that over decades rape hasn’t been ended because we as a people have blamed everyone but the rapists. It’s also such an honour to work with Lanji & Crevit Mulier as a whole because they share the passion to reform the criminal justice system so that we can see justice served for survivors. The more rapists aren’t held accountable by the justice system, the more rape cases we will continue to have.”
The rape statistics in Kenya are quite alarming. 1 in 3 women have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime.
Furthermore, during the first three weeks of the COVID-19 caused curfew, reported cases of sexual violence had tripled.
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Speaking on the book & partnership J.J.Lanji said:
“As a company, our interest is on the law, policies & reform in relation to gender justice and the loopholes of access to justice. So my fight to secure justice for survivors and build a criminal justice system that fights for justice is my motivation. We chose to work with Adelle Onyango as she is an exemplary, inspiring woman, who has fought tirelessly for the rights of women & survivors not only in Kenya, but throughout the continent. A revolutionary Pan-Africanist whose voice I believe is of prime importance in the proverbial ‘fight” against sexual violence.”
The book is set to hit stands by mid-November after which the Adelle Onyango Initiative and Crevit Mulier & Co. will embark on various strategic plans towards sustainable reform within a broken socio-legal system.
This book will break the silence, to break the cycle of stigma and injustice.
