Causes of Domestic Violence Against Men in Kenya: A Case Study of Central Kenya

ABSTRACT Within the last few decades, many efforts aimed at preventing domestic violence and helping victims have focused on violence against women because in social and legal policies domestic violence is ollcn considered a woman's issue. The study is set to evaluate the role of the legal and institutional fi·amework in curbing down the problem of domestic violence in central Kenya. The law emphasizes on the woman as the main victim of domestic violence and the man as the main perpetrator. The law is gender imbalance because there is no express law in place for the protection of men against domestic violence. This defies the provisions of the Constitution of Kenya, 20 I 0 which provides for equality of both male and female. In the study central Kenya was undertaken as a study area because of its population and it's the most affected area. Qualitative method was used; interviews and observations were used to collect data. The study found out that the legal system is inadequate in addressing the plight of male victims of domestic violence. Nothing has been done to encourage men who are abused to come out and report. instead they suffer in silence. The public and the stakeholders in domestic relations do not take abuse against men seriously and the institutions· that help men who face violence at home arc underfunded and ridiculed. Legislation concerning domestic violence needs to be reviewed or enacted to ensure that male victims access protection and effective redress just like the female victims. The public, police, judicial officers and social workers should be educated that domestic violence does not have exclusive victims and exclusive perpetrators.