IMPLICATIONS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN POLICE HOUSE HOLDS IN BURUBURU POLICE DIVISION IN NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

This study investigated domestic violence in police households in the BuruBuru Police Division. The study was motivated by the need for new interventions to help curb the seemingly persistent and increasing violence against women in police households in BuruBuru Police Division this study attributed to a lack of adequate information on the problem. The study was guided by the following objectives: to explore the forms and nature of domestic violence against women in police households; to examine the factors that give rise to domestic violence against women in police households; and to assess the effects of domestic violence on police families in BuruBuru Police Division. The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive study design. The study used the probability sampling technique as well as purposive sampling to specifically select a sample size of 133 respondents from partners of male Police officers. This study also interviewed 8 key informants to further enrich the findings. Quantitative data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics using SPSS software package while the qualitative data was processed using content analysis. Correlation analysis was used to test for associations and dependencies between the variables of the study. According to the study, domestic violence also takes place in police households. Major forms of domestic violence revealed by this study include physical violence (48.5%), sexual abuse (56.6%), controlling or domineering (42.4%), economic deprivation (41.4%) and intimidation (38.4%). Further, socio-economic factors greatly contribute to domestic violence in police households (63.6%). This was said to significantly affect police mental health and also the quality of their work. According to this study, police disciplinary procedures may not be adequate to address the problem. The study recommends policies that include the use of conflict resolution mechanisms such as mediation, counseling and other government and NGO outreach programs to this seemingly hard-to-reach population within the confines of police houses and or police lines.