Explainer: The unexpected link between domestic violence and public safety
PSV driver Robert* says he has hit a number of vehicles in Nairobi, not because he wants to, but because he needs to 'get some anger off my chest'.
What you need to know:
- Gender-based violence fuels cycles of trauma, hurting victims, families, and society, with economic costs, emotional scars, and escalating fears among Kenyans.
- Men and women grapple with GBV’s lasting consequences, from emotional distress to economic instability, hence the need for nationwide action to break the cycle.
Ronald*, a public service vehicle driver in Nairobi, has easy and rough days. His rough days are not so much about dealing with bullying vehicles on the road but rather about how his wife treats him at home.
“There are days my wife tells me I'm not behaving like a bee that makes honey just because I don’t have the money she is asking for. And she will be grumpy throughout,” he says.
“If I ask her anything, she clicks her tongue and walks away. I feel so angry, and since I don't want to hit her, whenever I'm on the road, I just want to drive fast. I find myself being rough on the roads. I've hit a number of vehicles in Nairobi, not because I want to, but because I need to get some anger off my chest.”
His confession reflects a broader issue: The impact of gender-based violence (GBV). It doesn’t just affect the direct victim – it indirectly impacts even those who have no direct connection to the victim.
Counselling psychologist Daniel Kariuki points out that what hurts people often hurts others. “Unresolved trauma can manifest in harmful behaviours, creating a cycle of violence,” he said in an interview last year. “Trauma not healed is transferred.”
The long-lasting consequences of GBV can turn survivors into what clinical psychologist Getter Wasilwa described as “walking bombs” during an interview in 2021.
In her work at the Gender-based Violence Recovery Centre at Kenyatta National Hospital, Wasilwa warns that survivors of sexual violence – whether rape or defilement – often endure a lifetime of trauma that can lead to profound mental health challenges.
“Some become perpetrators themselves,” she cautions.
Dr Nancy Baraza, the chairperson of the Technical Working Group on GBV, including femicide whose team is expected to identify psychological issues related to crimes associated with GBV and femicide, notes that this violence has created fear among women and men.
“We are terrified,” she says, referring to the harrowing nature of GBV and femicide, which is the extreme outcome of domestic violence.
A 2016 report by the National Gender and Equality Commission calculated the economic burden of GBV on survivors. It highlights how the cost of violence leads to reduced or lost productivity, hurting individuals and their families. In the long run, this cycle of poverty further destabilises communities.
“Young girls are calling me. They are scared. They are not dating anymore because they don’t know if their boyfriend, the man they think they love, is the one who will end their life. We have to find solutions. That’s what I would ask from Kenyans,” Nancy says.
*Name changed for personal privacy.
mobiria@ke.nationmedia.com