Gender-Based Violence in the Context of Urban Poverty: Experiences of Men from the Slums of Nairobi, Kenya

Rhoune Adhiambo Ochako, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)
Salome N. Wawire, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)
Jean-Christophe Fotso, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)

There is little knowledge about what constitutes men’s power and manhood in poor environments, where men and women equally face severe livelihood insecurity, unemployment and poverty. This paper explores the gendered experience of men in economic and geo-political marginalization, and the impacts on their relationships with women and fellow men. Data are derived from an exploratory tool, which was one component of a study that employed qualitative and quantitative methodology, administered in Viwandani slums. Results show that men experience gender-based violence at home. Coping strategies depend on the type of violence. Response to abuse included retaliatory violence and verbal abuse. Few men sought counseling, and no report of men seeking legal redress. Their responses to abuse may be influenced by the unique slum context, where they are threatened by the poor security system, and their waning power within the household, resulting from their inability to fulfill their role as breadwinners.