Many Kenyan couples have been spending more time together at home since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is because the new normal, for many, includes working and learning from home.
Job losses, redundancies and mandatory leaves due to the harsh economic times have also contributed to the increased time spent at home.
Such stresses, among others, are catalysts for domestic violence especially against women. As it turns out, however, married men are silently suffering horrific experiences at the hands of their wives.
Conversations on Tuesday, September 1 and Wednesday, September 2 saw several Kenyan men narrate their stories of domestic violence.
From having gas cylinders hurled at them in front of their children to being denied food, the narrations told a sad story.
They also revealed some of the reasons why many men never report the cases or even tell close friends; as they are often made a mockery of.
Police were also accused of inaction when men reported cases of domestic violence.
One victim claimed that police reffered him back to his wife to sort their issues at home.
Another stated that he knew of a man who had become used to only tasting his children's food as his wife denied him food every night.
Another told the story of a colleague whose phone and laptop were destroyed by his wife, and his clothes burnt after a disagreement.
At least two men claimed that they had previously been left injured after being hit with padlocks by their partners.
Interestingly, many of the men stayed in relationships with their partners long after they were assaulted.
Beth Maiyo, a trained psychologist, told Kenyans.co.ke that for many men, the societal consequences of speaking out were not worth bearing.
"For many of them, it's an issue of feeling like a lesser man among their peers if it is in the public domain that they were assaulted.
"Even in the online conversations you're referencing I saw people telling the victims to man up," she stated.
Maiyo asserted that open communication channels and mutual respect were key to functional, violence-free relationships.
She, however, observed that women and girls remained the worst-hit victims during the Covid-19 period.
"Women and girls are suffering the most especially with the restrictions.
"Children at home are being defiled, women are being raped and assaulted at home and have nowhere to go because of the curfew and all that, so we still have a lot to work on," she stated.
