'Useless men; half-men': Male GBV survivors face online ridicule despite calls to speak out
A woman uses verbal violence against her husband.
What you need to know:
- Male survivors of domestic violence continue facing ridicule online despite growing calls encouraging victims to seek support.
- Persistent stigma against abused men in Kenya discourages reporting and undermines broader efforts to combat gender-based violence.
Between March 17 and May 12, 2026, popular and influential men known to have survived domestic violence faced intense backlash online after publicly expressing displeasure at the behaviour of participants at events they attended.
Online users mocked them as “useless men” and “half-men” who could not speak authoritatively because their wives had allegedly abused them. Memes circulated comparing them to dogs that bark elsewhere but become subdued at home.
The irony is striking at a time when society continues to urge men to speak out and seek help when facing abuse. Yet, once men are publicly identified as survivors, they are stripped of their masculinity and ridiculed.
Various studies have shown that many men avoid reporting domestic violence because of stigma, shame, and fear of humiliation. What happens online often reflects attitudes deeply rooted within communities.
A 2024 study examining myths about technology-facilitated gender-based violence and abuse against men offers possible ways of ending online mockery of male survivors. The study recommends first identifying the myths surrounding violence against men, then naming and transforming the false beliefs that perpetuate such abuse and stigma.
The government, too, recognises society’s diminishing rights, value, and place of men simply because they have experienced abuse. This acknowledgement appears in Kenya’s National Policy for Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence (2014).
The government attributes this partly to the misconception that gender-based violence (GBV) is solely a women’s and girls’ issue, and that attention should, therefore, focus on them at the expense of men and boys. According to the policy, such misconceptions amount to misinformation that hampers efforts to end all forms of violence.
“Another factor that complicates the response to GBV is the stigma towards those affected by GBV. This limits reporting of GBV cases,” the government states in the policy launched under the then Ministry of Devolution and Planning.
Today, there exists the Ministry of Gender, Culture, and Children Services. To demystify these misconceptions and support effective GBV prevention and response, the government emphasises the role of consistent online and offline sensitisation by multiple actors.
It says individuals and communities, the media, civil society, county governments, and the ministries responsible for education and health have an important role to play in changing social attitudes and preventing GBV.
In an earlier interview, Dan Shieshie, an advocate of ending violence against men, said ending the stigma, shame, and humiliation faced by abused men in all spaces requires continuous public awareness.
“Society has yet to accept the fact that men are equally victims, and that has contributed to few men reporting the assaults or sharing their experiences. But we must realise that we will only co-exist well if we address SGBV (sexual and gender-based violence) issues for both men and women,” he said.
