FLC: Samburu Women Trust - Strengthening women and girls dignity in pastoralists communities Samburu Women Trust (SWT) is an umbrella indigenous women and girls? network that champions the rights of women and girls among the pastoralists? communities through strengthening their capacities to influence policies decision making processes and address
 harmful cultural practices that demean the dignity of women and girls in the society. The Trust is women driven whose key mandate is to raise not only the voice and status of indigenous women and girls but also to spearhead local initiatives aimed at secu
ring human rightsknowledge and wellbeing of women and girls.The Samburu like any other indigenous peoples community in Kenya is strongly bound to its rich tradition and cultural practices. Women and girls are among the major victims of human rights violati
ons and whose voices are stifled which is largely contributed by limiting cultural norms and practices that do not respect and recognize women in their societies. In most of pastoralists? societies patriarchy system of governance is the order of the day th
us decision making processes and leadership are mostly male dominated. As a result of this women and girls space has remained limited in making informed decisions including leadership positions access and ability to own or control property thus feel discri
minated against in the society.Gender based violence is rampant. Women are subjected to harmful cultural practice such as humiliating practice of wife beating and rape. Girl-child beading practice FGM and child marriages are the other harmful practices tha
t threaten the lives and future of girls in Samburu community with devastating consequences that denies girls their rights to childhood disrupts their access to education and jeopardizes their health. Young girls who get beaded are forced into underage sex
ual intercourse with their usually much older partners and this has severe negative health consequences as the girl is often not psychologically physically and sexually mature.In Samburu community a number of girls and women become victims of these retrogr
essive cultural practices. Many young girls aged nine years and above undergo cruel abortion and women who take lead in rescuing the infants often get divorced rejected in their own clans families and considered outcast. Eventually these women and girls un
dergo a lot of trauma and are stigmatized for the rest of their lives.