All men are banned from entering this village

After hearing of violence on women every day in the newspapers and social media, one feels like running away to a place where no men exist. We all have fantasized about that, haven't we? Apparently a place like this actually exists in the world.

In the village of Umoja in Kenya, 50 women and 200 children live on their own, without the presence of a man. In fact, men are banned in this place.

This village was formed in 1990 by survivors of sexual violence. Women who were running away from child marriage, domestic violence, genital mutilation and rape decided to form this self-sufficient village. They have a simple but happy life, away from patriarchal set ups where women are treated like animals.The village has been inspiring women from other villages to survive on their own and be self-sufficient.

Representational imge. Women in this village have faced some form of violence inflicted by men.

They do face resistance from male groups and committees but they have not given in.While we rejoice at the courage of these women, isn't it also sad that they had no other option but to ban men? Being self-sufficient is wonderful. But these women are victims of violence by men; they did this out of anger against men.

The world should be a safe place for women and the choice to be on one's own should never be driven by violence.

You can watch the video about Umoja here :