Men mostly to blame for gender violence and marriage break-ups, says CJ Maraga

Chief Justice David Maraga has said men must be educated and engaged in discussions of gender violence.

He said men are the leading cause of conflicts and break-ups in marriages. Maraga said this is demonstrated in the high number of cases handled at the Milimani law court’s family division.

“In the family division, most problems are as a result of what men have done. Look at how chaos erupt or how families are left fighting over estate matters. For the men, it appears as if it’s something to be proud of, yet it is something to be ashamed of,” he said on Friday.

The CJ spoke during a two-day regional conference on creating partnerships and combating systemic impunity towards gender violence.

The conference brought together representatives of associations of women judges, magistrates and prosecutors from Kenya, Liberia, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Somalia and Zambia.

Read: Rising cases of murder blamed on moral decay

They shared experiences aimed at ensuring proper adjudication of GBV cases.

The conference was themed ‘Strengthening the Role and Contribution of Women Justice Actors in the Adjudication of GBV cases’.

The event also marked the Kenya Women Judges Association (KWJA) Silver Jubilee anniversary since its inception in 1993.

The name, KWJA has since changed to International Association of Women Judges – Kenya Chapter.

lead by example

GBV, Maraga said, is not just a national crisis, but a continental one.

Maraga urged women judges to become more engaged in helping to end violence against women and girls.

He also appealed to all those in positions of authority — whether in schools, homes, workplaces — to exercise leadership through example.

“It is important that we, especially we men, become impeccable role models to our boys and men. We cannot preach water and drink wine,” the CJ said.

Maraga cited a case he handled in 2003 while in Mombasa, where an eight-year-old girl had been defiled by a 50-year-old man.

“I was appalled but for some reason that appeared to be the norm. During this year’s KCPE exams, I was surprised at the number of pregnant candidates. Something needs to be done to conquer these vices,” he said.

The CJ urged the organisers of the conference to ensure the views and information captured is shared at the grassroots level.

Maraga said the Judiciary is ready to play its part in implementing the law, but alone it cannot combat GBV.

“There must be other strategies and in this regard change of attitude and support from all quarters is crucial,” he said.

Kenya, he said, can learn novel approaches to ‘sextortion’ in Tanzania, methods of fast-tracking GBV cases in Zambia and the use of alternative dispute resolution in gender violence cases in Somalia.

Also see: 357 gender violence cases reported so far this month