Study exposes violations against women workers

A farmer picking tea at a farm in Kericho. [File, Standard] 

A report by the Coalition Against Sexual Violence (CASV) has revealed persistent and widespread human and labour rights violations facing women workers in Kenya’s tea sector.

The report, titled “An Analysis of Women Workers’ Experiences of Rights Violations in Kenya’s Tea Sector”, paints a grim picture of exploitation, gender-based violence, and unsafe working conditions across tea estates in the country.

The report, released last Friday, indicates that women employed on tea farms continue to endure precarious, insecure, and often exploitative working conditions.

These include long hours of physically demanding labour, inadequate benefits, irregular or delayed wages, and a widespread lack of formal employment contracts.

“Women work beyond the legal limit of hours without breaks or appropriate compensation,” the report states, adding that most earn wages below a basic living standard, making it difficult to afford essentials such as food, housing, and healthcare.

Disturbingly, the report, under the Wangu Kanja Foundation, highlights that women workers also face serious health risks due to hazardous working environments, lack of medical cover, and exposure to harmful substances.

Cases of coercive sexual encounters, physical assaults, and lack of access to mental health support further exacerbate their suffering.

“Personal narratives reveal a grim reality where women are coerced into sexual activities under threats of job loss, suffer physical violence, and endure significant psychological trauma,” the report notes.

The CASV also found that gender-based violence and discrimination are deeply entrenched in the sector.

“Women are under-represented in leadership positions, lack avenues for resolving grievances — particularly those related to sexual harassment —and are often denied maternity leave and support for nursing mothers due to their casual employment status,” the report reads.

Another alarming finding among women workers is the fear of job loss should they attempt to report abuse or agitate for better working conditions.

This fear undermines their basic freedoms of association and expression.

The report recommends a series of urgent interventions, such as legal reform. It states that the government should strengthen legal protections by enacting or amending laws to mandate comprehensive Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (SEAH) prevention policies across all tea estates.

“Tea companies must adopt and enforce zero-tolerance SEAH policies with clear disciplinary procedures and safeguards for whistleblowers,” the report reads.

CASV also calls for an overhaul of tea firms’ HR systems to promote gender equity in recruitment, promotions, and grievance resolution mechanisms.

CASV indicated that its findings were based on a rigorous methodology involving a desk review and qualitative interviews with women workers in tea-growing regions, offering detailed insights into their lived experiences of abuse and systemic injustice.