Domestic violence stems from poor communication-Mugenda

Former Kenyatta University Vice Chancellor Prof Olive Mugenda speaks during the International Leadership Conference for Women in Higher Education, March 6, 2019. /COURTESY

Families which do not make good use of communication experience gender based violence,  a professor has warned.

Former Kenyatta University VC Prof Olive Mugenda said people need to communicate so that things do not escalate to people taking the lives of their spouses.

Mugenda spoke on Wednesday during the international conference for Women in Higher Education.

“It is both ways because we have also seen men being killed by their spouses. The cultural fabric has broken down,” she said.

Mugenda said in the past when people had issues the community was there, the parents were there to talk to them and normally problems would not escalate.

“We should go back to the basics, so that the community can also own these marriages. We have become so individualistic such that if someone has a problem they just deal with it themselves without getting back to people who can advice,” Mugenda said.

She asked the Church to come in and help people seeking counselling either professionally or religion-based.

Mugenda said it is high time people adopted alternative conflict resolution strategies instead of resorting to violence.

She said fighting GBV in the society requires a combined effort from the community, individuals, the Church and from the professionals.

Mugenda said people ought to be vigilant to notice when someone close to them has a problem.

“We also need to be vigilant so that we are able to know the way things are going especially if they are not normal. Some people may be having mental illnesses but nothing is being done to address the issues,” she said.

Cases of gender-based violence have been on the rise with the latest case being the death of Beryl Ouma.

The 28-year-old was killed in their house in Kahawa Sukari after hours of beating before her body was taken to Neema Uhai Hospital in the area.

She was screaming so loudly and painfully asking her husband to stop beating her, it was late at night,” said a neighbour.

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