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Mental health discussions hailed for helping male survivors open up

A mental health focus group discussion in Wabera ward, Isiolo County. (Photo: Waweru Wairimu)

By Waweru Wairimu | Thursday, June 13, 2024

Men hardly share violence meted out to them by their lovers and partners such as physical torture and denial of conjugal rights in public due to fear of being perceived as weak humans.

Community mental health focus group discussions in Isiolo's Wabera, Bulapesa, Burat and Ngaremara wards have been hailed for offering Gender-Based Violence survivors a platform to share their experiences as part of the healing process.

The discussions are done at the village level and have between 7-12 people inclusive of elders, clergy and human rights crusaders representatives who train the local communities on their rights and retrogressive traditions, such as Female Genital Mutilation, that should be abandoned.

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While the sessions have helped in gathering information on the needs and concerns of the survivors and reduced stigma through the promotion of empathy, encouraging men to share their experiences has been hailed the most.

Men hardly share violence meted out to them by their lovers and partners such as physical torture and denial of conjugal rights in public due to fear of being perceived as weak humans with a large number of them resorting to drugs and alcohol for solace.

John E. is among the male survivors who are slowly gathering the courage to share the ordeals they underwent at the hands of their partners.

"Though men who have undergone abuse shy off sharing their experiences, they hardly access support commensurate with the one offered to women which is something that should be addressed," John said.

He said the discussions offered him space to be heard after he almost sunk into depression following his separation from his wife of 14 years early this year. "I have over time gathered the courage to share which has helped in releasing the pain in my heart".

The program is part of a three-year initiative dubbed Wajibu Wetu (Our Responsibility) that seeks to end GBV in the county through increased awareness, promotion of girls' and women's rights and breaking of cultural barriers that promote gendered violence in the region.

Funded by Swedish ForumCiv and implemented by Isiolo Gender Watch, the initiative also focuses on training survivors on reporting for easy access to justice while also linking them to counsellors and safe centres.

Isiolo Gender Watch Executive Director Grace Lolim said the involvement of the clergy in the initiative was for them to help in preaching against GBV in the churches and Mosques while elders, who are the custodians of the traditions, in educating local communities on beliefs and practices promoting violence.

"Human rights activists teach the communities on their rights so that they know when they are violated and abuses that cannot be solved through the Alternative Justice System such as sexual offences," she said.

She implored men who have undergone abuse to take advantage of the platform to share their experiences or do so with their male friends as sharing is therapeutic and helps in the healing process.