The Experiences of Female Survivors of Gender Based Violence in Recovery Centres in Nairobi City County.

Abstract

The main aim of this descriptive study was to examine the experiences of female survivors of GBV in two recovery centres in Nairobi City County. The study intended to document these women’s journeys as they sought support services in GVRCs after episodes of GBV. Research from various secondary sources show that the number of women seeking support services at GBV Centres in Kenya has increased dramatically over the past few years. Examining the experiences of GBV survivors in the recovery Centres at Kenyatta National Hospital and Nairobi Women’s Hospitals therefore begs the question, what really happens when GBV survivors seek support services in a recovery Centre? What kind of services do they receive and how do they perceive them? The city is chosen specifically due to convenience in accessibility and the assumption that the population ought to be more knowledgeable on matters GBV and where to seek services than people in rural areas. Gender-based-violence against women is a serious social problem in the world today. In Kenya cases of GBV are increasing each passing day prompting many responses. One of the responses is the establishment of GBV recovery centres to offer health and other support services to the survivors. While this study examined the experiences of female survivors of GBV in two recovery centres in Nairobi City County, specifically, it investigated the survivor’s perception of the services offered at the GBV recovery centres in Kenyatta National Teaching and Referral Hospital and Nairobi Women’s Hospital. The study also tries to understand the challenges GBV survivors face in these two centres. The experiences of the female survivors were explained within the social learning theoretical perspective and various methods were employed in the collection of the data used in this study; these included case narratives taken from 20 purposely selected respondents and 4 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) who provided professional insight on GBV. The findings indicated that GVRCs are indeed impactful in the fight against GBV. It was observed that some survivors preferred the Nairobi Women’s GVRC due to the perception that services offered in Kenyatta Hospital GVRC are not satisfactory because it is a public facility. Further, the Nairobi Women’s GVRC was preferred due to availability of information online, privacy accorded, location seemed favorable to participants who sought help there. Other participants who visited the GVRC were confident that their preference of medical professional would be adhered to; this was mostly as a result of religious affiliation. The findings also revealed a lack of information on costing of services offered in GVRCs. Survivors who visited the Kenyatta Hospital GVRC for instance pointed to the fact that public facilities offer such GBV post care services at no cost. Also observed from the findings was the dissatisfaction on services provided in public facilities and lack of professionalism from some caregivers. The study further shed light on the survivor’s perceptions of GBV and the normalization and helplessness associated with various acts of GBV. The findings showed that women who seek help at these centres still experience a number challenges. Some of the commonly cited challenges include; difficulty in accessibility due to lack of finances to access the centres, discrimination due to poverty, abuse and mishandling by caregivers, failure to follow up for after care and therapy by the centres, lack of finances to seek counselling services, poor collection of evidence making it difficult to prosecute the perpetrators among others as discussed in the study. Despite the various challenges that women face as they seek to obtain help from these centres, the value of GVRCs is still immense. The study recommends the need for further sensitization on GBV management and the need to establish more centres now that Nairobi is a growing city with a rapidly expanding population.