Sextortion: That's the threat for women who are simply trying to buy clean water

Water is often a scarce commodity in Nairobi's largest slum. The only source may be a local cartel — and with that comes the risk of sexual threats and attacks.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2048x1365+0+0/resize/2048x1365!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe0%2F71%2Fe5210f64401484d7a7254d8ef431%2Fkibera-water-sexual-violence-12.jpg' alt='Zubedah Hassan, 32, at home in Kibera. She works as a champion for the Stop Sex for Water program, encouraging women and girls to speak out if they face sexual violence from water vendors or are groped or peeped on in public bathrooms. "The main problem is poverty," she says. "A girl tries to save money on water by doing favors for a vendor. Another challenge is drought. You find schoolchildren waking up very early to go and look for water and being raped along the small paths they take."'/><p>Water is often a scarce commodity in Nairobi's largest slum. The only source may be a local cartel — and with that comes the risk of sexual threats and attacks.</p><p>(Image credit: Nick Parisse for NPR)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=g-s1-133450' />