Collective action for justice: Local-global synergies in femicide prevention and human security in Kenya
Institutional Affiliation
University of Warsaw
Start Date
January 2026
End Date
January 2026
Proposal Type
Presentation
Proposal Format
On-campus
Proposal Description
Collective Action for Justice: Local-Global Synergies in Femicide Prevention and Human Security in Kenya
This article aims to examine the role of collective action in preventing femicide and strengthening human security in Kenya by integrating local innovations with global normative frameworks. Despite growing international consensus on gender-based violence as a human rights violation, femicide persists across Kenya, often under-addressed by state responses and inadequately aligned with grassroots realities. Local women’s groups, urban activist circles, and transnational advocacy networks are increasingly forming coalitions to advance both prevention and justice in culturally responsive and globally informed ways. The article’s core assumption is that the collective action rooted in local experience and global solidarity can produce effective, justice-oriented security strategies. These coalitions do more than fill institutional gaps, they challenge structural violence by embedding social justice in community, based governance and everyday safety practices.
The theoretical framework is guided by the feminist global governance theory and human security theory. The article argues that femicide prevention must be reframed as a social justice imperative that transcends policy technocracy. Community actors become co-creators of security, not passive recipients of protection. This reframing highlights the transformative potential of local efforts aligned with transnational norms, underscoring justice as a foundational principle of sustainable peace.
Utilizing a qualitative design approach, the research combines ethnographic fieldwork in Nairobi’s informal settlements and rural communities to document locally developed prevention strategies; semi-structured interviews with activists, NGO representatives, and international policy actors; and document analysis of memoranda, campaigns, and evaluation reports to trace transnational knowledge exchange. Thematic coding and process tracing will identify mechanisms through which collective action fosters justice and security simultaneously further explaining how multi-scalar collaboration operationalizes social justice in response to femicide.
The findings aim to contribute original insights for peacebuilding scholarship and practical models for policymakers, civil society, and global institutions committed to nonviolent social transformation.
Key Words: Collective action, femicide, gender-based violence, human security, local-global synergies, social justice, transnational advocacy, prevention models, knowledge exchange, sustainable peace.
Collective action for justice: Local-global synergies in femicide prevention and human security in Kenya
Collective Action for Justice: Local-Global Synergies in Femicide Prevention and Human Security in Kenya
This article aims to examine the role of collective action in preventing femicide and strengthening human security in Kenya by integrating local innovations with global normative frameworks. Despite growing international consensus on gender-based violence as a human rights violation, femicide persists across Kenya, often under-addressed by state responses and inadequately aligned with grassroots realities. Local women’s groups, urban activist circles, and transnational advocacy networks are increasingly forming coalitions to advance both prevention and justice in culturally responsive and globally informed ways. The article’s core assumption is that the collective action rooted in local experience and global solidarity can produce effective, justice-oriented security strategies. These coalitions do more than fill institutional gaps, they challenge structural violence by embedding social justice in community, based governance and everyday safety practices.
The theoretical framework is guided by the feminist global governance theory and human security theory. The article argues that femicide prevention must be reframed as a social justice imperative that transcends policy technocracy. Community actors become co-creators of security, not passive recipients of protection. This reframing highlights the transformative potential of local efforts aligned with transnational norms, underscoring justice as a foundational principle of sustainable peace.
Utilizing a qualitative design approach, the research combines ethnographic fieldwork in Nairobi’s informal settlements and rural communities to document locally developed prevention strategies; semi-structured interviews with activists, NGO representatives, and international policy actors; and document analysis of memoranda, campaigns, and evaluation reports to trace transnational knowledge exchange. Thematic coding and process tracing will identify mechanisms through which collective action fosters justice and security simultaneously further explaining how multi-scalar collaboration operationalizes social justice in response to femicide.
The findings aim to contribute original insights for peacebuilding scholarship and practical models for policymakers, civil society, and global institutions committed to nonviolent social transformation.
Key Words: Collective action, femicide, gender-based violence, human security, local-global synergies, social justice, transnational advocacy, prevention models, knowledge exchange, sustainable peace.