In a pioneering initiative marking International Women’s Day 2025, Youth Alive! Kenya facilitated a crucial dialogue between community care champions and police women from Githurai Police Station. The ground-breaking session focused on the critical nexus of unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW), gender-based violence (GBV), and access to justice, issues that acutely impact women and impede their full participation in society.

The discussion underscored how UCDW disproportionately affects women, often creating barriers to their social, economic, and political empowerment. While police officers are vital in creating supportive environments, the challenges of UCDW extend to them as well. Many police women present openly acknowledged deficiencies in care infrastructure within police stations, highlighting how these gaps affect their ability to serve the public effectively and compromise the dignity of victims seeking justice.

A significant point of agreement was the recognition that GBV survivors frequently face immense obstacles in accessing legal and social support, largely due to their financial dependence on perpetrators. This dependency often traps them in cycles of abuse and limits their ability to seek recourse.

A major highlight of the session was a concrete proposal to organize a sanitary pad collection drive for placement at the Githurai Police Station. This initiative directly addresses the often-overlooked reality that many GBV survivors, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, arrive at police stations without essential personal hygiene items, including menstrual products.

The discussion emphasized that period poverty is a deeply ingrained aspect of UCDW, further compounding the vulnerabilities of women in distress. By tackling the intersection of care work and the justice system, such initiatives are paving the way for more inclusive and gender-sensitive public services that truly cater to the needs of all women.