| dc.description.abstract | Domestic violence against women is a glaring problem in the
world today. In Kenya, it began to emerge as a significant issue
in the late 1960s. The phenomenon of battered women was not of
course by any means a new one. What was new was its recognition as
a problem requiring immediate attention. The prevailing situation
underscores the primacy of looking at each case from its own
experience, hence providing the study with a major cause' of
departure.
This study was undertaken among urban women of Nairobi. The
study focuses on the victims themselves. It tries to investigate
the victims' perception of violence, attempts to avoid or prevent
violence, and the responses to their efforts,to obtain (outside}
legal intervention. The study also tries to unriddle the puzzle of why battered women remain with their abusers:"sometimes for many years after violence begins
The issue of domestic violence is explained,within the social .
learning theoretical perspective.various techniques were engaged
in the collection of data used in this study , These techniques
include the use of a standard questionnaire which was administered
to 112 purposely sampled respondents between June:and July 1992
informal discussions, key informants and documentary sources.
Findings reveal that most battered women ,do not seek legal aid and' when they do, legal help agents are
reluctant to become involved in cases of wife,battery. When they become involved.!
then emphasis is on reconciliation, and the privacy of the family
and' marriage. The findings also indicate that lack of adequate
nursery provisions, women's poor earning power, and the legal and
financial dependency of married women on their husbands are factors
that make women powerless against male violence.
In conclusion, it is noted that the hierarchical power
structure of the family prevails that women should be dominated,
and if they are recalcitrant, authority must be maintained even if
it requires a degree of physical force;: The'-quest-ion in the minds
of many is not if the use of force is justified, but rather centers
on the question of how much is justified. Many people in positions. | en |
