Women Members of Parliament on Thursday walked out of the budget reading session in protest after Woman Representative Fatuma Gedi was assaulted by a male colleague, but what are the statistics of this vice in the society today?
By 2014, statistics by the Kenya Demographic and Household Survey (KDHS) indicated that at least 47% of women and, wait for this, 40% of men all between the age of 15 and 49 have experienced a form of violence.
This violence ranges from physical to sexual. Now, to what many men will not talk about, 44% of male between 14 and 49 years have been smacked by women with the women statistic being a point higher than that at 45%.
The main affected areas by this vice are the Western and Nyanza regions of our country. The most intriguing question however remains; would a man stand and admit to having been assaulted by a woman?
Due to cultural issues, many African men prefer to suffer in silence which has led to depression and low self-esteem. Don’t suffer in silence bro, no one has a spare life! Just walk into any Gender-Based Violence Recovery Centre and seek help.
The most recent establishment is at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) – Kisumu.
Here are some of the reactions from the Thursday assault;
The assault on @Hon_FatumaGedi is an assault on a leader, an assault on a woman, an assault on a mother. It should be treated with the seriousness it deserves.
Rashid Kasim must face a consequence that will serve as an example to the rest for generations. #JusticeforFatumaGedi
— Abdinasir Mohamed Khalif (Warantooble) (@DrAbdinasser) June 13, 2019
violence is not an option and it can never be justifiable. When you've not exhausted various negotiations channels and other avenues to communicate your grievance, just walk away! #JusticeForFatumaGedi @HusseinMohamedg @Asmali77 @Ahmedkadar1 @etooo254 @kot @KOT_Loyals #kot pic.twitter.com/w2YH2vftrl
— Aden Mohamed A. Aress (@AdenAress) June 13, 2019
This debate might, unfortunately, reignite the vicious clan fights within the Somali Community. This has been well handled in the recent past. Senior Counsel Ahmednassir Abdulahi, it is taboo for such a thing to happen between an adult male and female.
According to ESTABSHED norms and traditions of the SOMALI people in the HORN of AFRICA, when an Male adult from a given CLAN physically assault a female adult from another CLAN (as is the case of today's incident involving the 2 MPs from WAJIR) that is a DECLARATION OF WAR.
— Ahmednasir Abdullahi SC (@ahmednasirlaw) June 13, 2019