Kenyan women allege rape by British soldiers
A mass demonstration of Kenyan women who claim they have been raped by British soldiers took place outside the British High Commission in Nairobi today.
Over 600 women have come forwards alleging they were raped by members of the British military stationed in the country, in a number of attacks that are alleged to go back for 20 years.
Many of the women have alleged that they were gang raped by British personnel and that the attackers “hunted in packs.”
Some of the soldiers, the women claim, fathered light-skinned children as a result of the attacks and that the children are ostracised by their local community.
Although the Royal Military Police are investigating the claims of some of the women, the group’s supporters have stated that the offences require independent investigation.
Martyn Day, a lawyer for the group of women, told Radio Four that there was good evidence to prove the truth of the women’s stories.
“We have had documentary evidence from police stations and hospitals; they are supporting 150 to 200 of the cases,” he said.
“We have been going round the communities talking to the elders and the chiefs and it seems very clear that there are many hundreds. Quite how many is still too early to say. I would be amazed if it were anything less than 500 were genuine cases,” he added.
Mr Day said that he was to use a Legal Aid award to press for compensation in order for the children of the alleged rapists to be educated outside of communities where they faced exclusion.
“The only way that these children will have any chance in life is if they can get a proper education away from their communities.”
Mr Day alleges that tribal leaders attempted many times to bring the attacks to the attention of British military officials.
For decades Britain has maintained a military presence in Kenya in order to carry out training exercises.
