GENDER BASED VIOLENCE (GBV)

Am a Volunteer in Community Social Work for over 16yrs in the slums. I worked as a Civil Servant went on early retirement. Fortunately the Government built an Administration Office just outside my house.

So. while Gender Based Violence cases are brought to the Chief am called to listen/solve those cases. Such cases are so many due to poverty. The Slum dwellers are so poor that they eat once a day. Majority of them never go to school , a few has reached up to primary level.

Due to poverty the slums dwellers marry from the age of 13 yrs, (children marriage) The husbands look for casual jobs for their families basic needs. The wife tries to wash clothes for other people whereby they get kshs 200. only, on very rare occasions they get these jobs,

When the husbands fails to get casual job, the children are hungry they cannot go to school when hungry so when the wife asks for money to buy food she is beaten up in protest by the husband. The wife comes to report to the Area chief that the husband is unable to feed his family and he has beaten her up. The husband opts to leave the family to unknown destination. So the Children run away from their shanties (home) . They go join other street boys/girls to places that are not safe for them they call such places as BASE they live together commiting all sorts of crime. robbing, killing In most cases they are the ones who end up being gangsters.

they smoke bang/gum, prostitution so they continue giving birth. Majority are HIV/AIDS infected and their children, they die young immature death.

Gender Based Violence also are caused by couples. due to poverty they live in Commununal or Condominium houses whereby everything they share the washing tap, toilet. where their clothes dry. Today I solved a case whereby, two couples live in where they share everything, as mentioned above.

The 2 couples the two husbands and two wives were the ones who started a fight while one was going to the toilet, she started beating her thoroughly, the other neighbours went to rescue one whose hand was twisted and had other bruises.

So when the two couples came, they could not agree. When we approached one of their neighbours, she told us the truth, That Couple (A) husband has an affair with the daughter of the lady who started the fight but in the process she was the one who was beaten,

So, I requested them to agree which couple will shift from the condonium plot where they live because they might kill one anotjher if they continue to live in the same compound where they share everything, One Couple agreed to shift,

In most cases that I/we handle you find Men are the main cause of Gender Based Violence cases. They defile their daughters, when they are reported their wives refuse them to be jailed they claim there are the Bread Winners/basic needs.

You find majority of women are jobless , helpless so they make decisions that make them suffer depression and later die due to shame which are caused by their husbands or lovers.