Men experiencing GBV in silence, says county official

Isiolo Deputy County Commissioner Andrew Mutua has emphasised the need to focus on violence meted on men in the fight against gender-based violence, saying many were suffering abuse in silence.

Men, who are mostly labelled perpetrators, are victims too but prefer bottling up the pain due to unfriendly institutions to deal with their issues.

Authorities say a number of men were victims of domestic violence but continued to suffer silently in the hands of brutal spouses, hardly talking about it.

The administrator said while women complained that men were battering them, they too had a role to play in ending female genital mutilation (FGM) which is carried out by women.

Outdated practices

“Violation to one is infringement to all. Let us be the change that we want to see in society,” said Mr Mutua.

While calling for concerted efforts from everyone in dealing with GBV, the administrator said his office will continue to sensitize residents on the harmful effects of outdated practices such as FGM.

Ms Grace Lolim, Isiolo Gender Watch Executive Director, lamented the rising cases of sexual and GBV during the Covid-19 pandemic, noting that they had rolled out a program to educate residents on how to report the violations and follow up the cases until action is taken against the perpetrators.

Men shy off

“We are also educating them on the need to report the cases and not shy off. Many people are reluctant to report and end up getting depressed for suffering silently,” said Ms Lolim.

Ms Aisha Mutar of Inform Action said they were involving men in the fight to end GBV and FGM as had a lot of power and influence in the society.

“Having all stakeholders on board is the only way to end GBV and outdated practices,” said Ms Mutar.

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