Socio-Cultural Factors Associated with Gender-Based Violence Survivors Assessing Legal Services in Makueni County, Kenya

Lennah Asami Kasyoka – Department of Gender, Institute of Anthropology, Gender and African Studies University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
Teresia Mutavi – Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
Wilkins Ndege Muhingi – Department of Community Development, College of Humanities and Social Sciences,
Pan Africa Christian University, Kenya
Tom Ondicho – Department of Gender, Institute of Anthropology, Gender and African Studies University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
Catherine Gitau – Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
Corresponding author: lenakitts@yahoo.co.uk; Lennah54@gmail.com

Received February 25, 2021; Revised April 9, 2021 Accepted April 10, 2021

The study interrogated barriers among women survivor to legal redress on gender-based violence. It was a qualitative research design utilising in-depth Interviews, Case Narratives and Key Informant Interviews as the main methods of data collection. There were 20 women survivors of gender-based violence aged 18 years and above. Data was analysed using content analysis and presented in the form of narratives with verbatim quotes to magnify the informants’ voices. Intimate partners meted physical violence, sexual violence, marital violence, economic violence and psychological/emotional violence to women. Survivors of gender-based violence sought help from village elders, clan elders, sub-chiefs, chiefs, police officers and the courts. Barriers included ignorance of legal process and lack of referral systems of cases and the police referred women to clan elders – when clan elders, who were unable to resolve the cases refer them back again to the police. Women did not access legal services because of economic dependency, poverty and illiteracy, corruption, poor referral systems for gender-based violence, culture and its socialization, law enforcement on institutional barriers, lack of awareness on laws and legal procedures/process, fear of consequences from family members and legal barriers. GBV leads to long lasting consequences such as death, physical disabilities, emotional and psychological disorders as well as medical problems like heart problems that include high blood pressure. There is also need to sensitize the community on gender-based violence laws and policies in order to totally eradicate the legal barriers that women face in court processes as they seek legal services.