Abstract:
Domestic violence against men (DVAM) remains a
private affair in many Africa countries. That rarely draws
attention of legislators, policy makers and members of society as
it is with other family members. The study explored male lived
experience of domestic violence (DV) in the household for a
period of one year, their socio-demographic, forms of abuse,
coping strategy, culture and government interventions. A
qualitative method was adapted. A total 19 victims out of 40
participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews were used
for data collection. Data was analyzed by thematic content
analysis. Ethical clearance was obtained from relevant
authorities; informed consent and binding form were obtained
from participants. Verbatim quotes were used to present the
study findings. Three themes and three sub-themes emerged.
Majority (19) did not reported their abuse, 15 were physically
and emotionally abused. Ten reported to have adopted
alcoholism as a coping strategy that exposed them to further
victimization. Nineteen men suffered with little knowledge and
awareness of government interventions to protect them. Sociocultural norms attached to couples violence interfered with the
reporting process by the witnesses and male victims to the law
enforcement officers. There is need to equally implement genderbased violence laws and policy, and to challenge the held societal
perceptions on DVAM.There is need to advocate for change in
gender doing and alcohol abuse. A lifestyle, that exposure men to
victimization and stigmatization at various levels in society.
Police and society response needs to be objective to facilitate
reporting, protection and prevention of DVAM, Nyeri County,
Kenya.
