Pattern Of Gender Based Violence In Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Gender based violence is a profound health problem worldwide. It displays regional, cultural and ethni c differences and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Data from Kenya are however, scarce . This was a retrospective study at the gender recove ry centre of the Nairobi Women’s hospital, Nairobi, Kenya. Patient records between January 2005 and Jun e 2010 were examined for age, gender, perpetrator features and nature of violence. The da ta collected were analysed using a statistical program SPSS version 18 for Windows 7 and presented in pie and bar charts. Ten thousand seven hundred and forty eight (944 males and 9604 females ) cases were reviewed. The mean age of the survivors was 19 (range 3-90) years. Male: female r atio was 1:9. In 66% of the cases, the perpetrator was known to the victim. The types of violence were; se xual (85%), physical (13%) and both physical and sexual (2%). Gender violence in Kenya is predominan tly sexual, against females, but with a substantial number of male victims. It occurs mainly in under 3 0s, and most perpetrators are known. Control measures should be targeted to young individuals of both genders.