Full report here WHRD Mental Wellbeing

This study aimed at carrying out a needs assessment of the status of WELLBEING, MENTAL HEALTH and SELF CARE practices from a sample of 200 Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) in Kenya to inform future interventions that are meant to prevent or mitigate mental health issues which arise as a result of their ‘work’.

WHRDs play a big role in fighting a myriad of human rights injustices and in so doing they expose themselves to the risks of developing mental health problems due to the traumatic situations they constantly face while challenging the status quo. Despite being at the forefront in defending the human rights of others, WHRDs tend to receive little or no support from formal support systems; instead, they seek support from their colleagues, as they are more often than not unattached to formal organizations. Others engage in dangerous behaviours such as alcoholism to relieve stress and relax from ‘work’.

During Focus Group Discussions, it was also revealed that some participants’ families were fearful for their physical safety, especially after the death of an activist Caroline Mwatha in 2019. This research was conducted using desk review and qualitative data analysis. Library and online sources proved crucial to this study when conducting literature review on the gaps that exist in providing support for the wellbeing, mental health and self-care of WHRDs in Kenya.

During the conduct of the qualitative research, the author collected, analyzed and interpreted the non-numerical data in a bid to understand how individual WHRDs subjectively perceive their work and the associated challenges, and how it gives meaning to their social reality1 . In the field, the researcher collected perspectives from WHRDs in several counties regarding the kind of support, services or skills that they would need to continue to address injustice, while at the same time securing their self-care and wellbeing, in order to remain mentally and physically healthy to do their advocacy. The findings from this study show that as they work to defend the rights of others, WHRDs in Kenya experience a variety of challenges such as insecurity threats, violence including (S)GBV and detention of self or family members from the government or the private sector.

Most of the respondents indicated that they or other WHRDs they are familiar with had experienced at least 80% of the mental health conditions that the researcher had listed in the study questionnaire. The challenges that WHRDs encounter at ‘work’ coupled with the strenuous and potentially trauma-inducing work puts them at risk of developing mental health problems. WHRDs in Kenya lack enough support for their mental wellbeing and selfcare from the formal support systems (most do not have a steady income), from both government and NGOs which further complicates their activism.

It was also concluded that the Kenyan government has not prioritized mental health support for its population let alone for women human rights defenders. The researcher hopes that the findings of this study will function as a bridge between the current state of affairs and the desired future – where WHRDs’ physical as well as mental needs are catered for and prioritized. It is hoped that the ultimate outcome of this assessment will be the provision of support to WHRDS where findings indicate a need for their mental health and general wellbeing be prioritized.

Thus, the main goal of this research is to mainstream mental health support for WHRDs, owing to the strenuous and potentially trauma-inducing ‘work’ they engage in. effects of such conditions by taking care of their mental health and nurturing their emotional wellbeing.

Full report here WHRD Mental Wellbeing