Gender-based violence (GBV) has no complete definition, but the World Health Organization (WHO) defines it as: Interpersonal violence as ‘violence that occurs between family members, intimate partners, friends, acquaintances and strangers, and includes child maltreatment, youth violence, intimate partner violence (IPV), sexual violence and elder abuse’.
Nonetheless, GBV is a term largely accepted to feature violence against women, including IPV, on the basis that women are more likely to be victims of interpersonal violence perpetrated by men.
Kenya has some of the highest rates of gender-based violence (GBV) in the world, particularly intimate partner violence. World Vision completed a rapid ethnographic assessment to explore common problems faced by men and local perspectives about the links between men, mental health, alcohol use and GBV.
Partly in this ethnographic assessment lack of jobs, ‘idleness’ and finances were viewed as top priority concerns facing men; however, alcohol and substance use were equally prioritised.
Family problems, crime and general psychosocial issues (e.g., high stress, low self-esteem) were also reported. Men withdrawing socially, changing behavior and increasing alcohol consumption were described as signs that men were experiencing mental health challenges.
The community observed alcohol use as the biggest cause of GBV, believing men resorted to drinking because of having ‘too much time’, marital conflict, psychosocial issues and access to alcohol. The findings theories that a circular link between unemployment, alcohol and crime is likely contributing to familial, psychosocial and gender concerns, and that men’s mental health support may assist to redirect a trajectory for individuals at risk of perpetrating GBV.
Kenya has some of the highest rates of GBV in the world. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS & ICF Macro), more than 41% of Kenyan women experience sexual and/or physical violence by intimate partners in their lifetime, while in a 12-month period, 31% of women are living with active violence in their homes. This same Kenya report indicated that women are most commonly victims of GBV and men the perpetrators; although incidences of violence against men, perpetrated by women, are believed to be under-reported.
Thought-provoking mental health concerns, particularly among men, is heavy alcohol consumption and abuse as alcohol abuse and mental health problems often go hand in hand. Establishing a destructive cycle commonly seen individuals with mental health problems tend to use alcohol as a coping strategy, which worsens mental health, social and matrimonial problems. This is a sequence also shown to aggravate violence and poverty.