Relationship Between Cultural Practices and Prevalence of Domestic Violence in Rural Settings in Bungoma County, Kenya

Abstract

Domestic violence cases remain prevalent despite numerous mechanisms put in place to curb the crime in rural settings in Bungoma County in Kenya. The various facets of reported cases of domestic violence included sexual abuse, physical assault, psychological torture, economic negligence and verbal abuse among others that are meted out against family members or intimate partners mostly affecting women and children. Domestic violence is classified among silent crimes because most people in society do not report or talk about them meaning that majority of the victims suffer in silence. To supplement efforts by the Government, interest groups and Non-Governmental Organizations in mitigating domestic violence crimes in Kenya, this study sought to determine the relationship between cultural factors and prevalence of domestic violence in rural settings in Bungoma County in Kenya. The study employed a correlational research design on a population of 358,942 comprising of household heads, the police and chiefs. Stratified, proportionate and purposive sampling techniques were used to select a sample of 388 respondents. An interview guide and a scale in form of a questionnaire measuring the prevalence of domestic violence crimes and that of related cultural factors was used to collect the required data. A pilot study was conducted in Nzoia County to determine the reliability of the research instruments. The reliability was estimated using Cronbach Alpha coefficient and a reliability coefficient of 0.74 was obtained. Qualitative data were analysed by use of MAXQDA while quantitative data using SPSS version 29. Correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between cultural factors and prevalence of domestic violence in rural settings in Bungoma County in Kenya. The findings indicated that there was a positive relationship between the cultural factors and prevalence of domestic violence in rural settings in Bungoma County in Kenya. It was recommended that the criminal justice system, interest groups, law enforcers and household members to respectively involve the society through community based initiatives which aim at eradicating the negative gender norms that promote high prevalence of domestic violence, create awareness campaigns against negative cultural stereotypes that discourage the culture of reporting domestic violence cases and embrace gender equity by culturally promoting power balance within the households to reduce the high prevalence of domestic violence in the society.