Impact of domestic violence on women empowerment in Marsabit County, Kenya

Abstract

Domestic violence is an issue that cuts across every cultural and socio-economic status within the globe. It harshly damages women's ability to be sustainably developed and empowered. They are emotionally withdrawn, irritable and become helpless. The study aimed at evaluating the impact of domestic violence on women empowerment in Marsabit County, Kenya. This was achieved through investigation into the forms of domestic violence in Marsabit County; the impacts of the coping strategies on women empowerment in Marsabit County; the impacts of domestic violence on socio-economic wellbeing among women in Marsabit County and the Strategies offered to mitigate domestic violence by the communities in Marsabit County. The study was guided by Person-Centered Theory by Carl Rogers. The study adopted descriptive mixed research design. The study used both spontaneous and purposive sampling techniques. The target population for the study was 300 women who were domestic violence survivors and 35 key informants, giving a population of (335). They were sourced from local NGO's, charity organizations, churches, mosques and local leaders who had interacted with the survivors of domestic violence in the seven sub-counties of Marsabit County. The study sampled 98 women and seven key informants. Instruments for data collection included, questionnaire and interview guides. Construct and content validity of the instruments was ascertained through expert analysis while reliability through test retest method. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 23 to extract the frequency distribution tables, bar graphs, and pie charts. The qualitative data was analyzed using the directed extracts, description and explanations according to each objective and presented in a narrative form. Findings revealed that women in Marsabit County experience different forms of domestic abuse in which 36% of women were beaten by their partners and 30.6% were coerced into sexual intercourse when they did not want to. The coping strategies used by women who suffered domestic violence in the County included use of alcohol/Miraa (30.6 %) as a means of distress reliever, while 24.5% participated in physical group activities in the community. The study concluded that though domestic violence is still rampant in Marsabit County, women are increasingly becoming empowered through self-awareness, recognition of their human rights and identification of workable business opportunities. The research recommends that government and NGOs initiate formation of more women's empowerment programmes which will enable women to be economically stable and have a voice against domestic violence.