The Role of Church Leaders in Averting Gender Based Violence in Imenti South Sub-County, Meru County, Kenya

Abstract

Gender based violence is violation of human rights and it is affecting men, women, and children spiritually, physically and emotionally. The church leadership is being looked at when it comes to averting violence at communal and family levels. However, in Kenya the role of church leaders in averting gender based violence has not been not been articulated in church spiritual and pastoral programs. The purpose of the study is to examine the role of the church leaders in averting gender based violence in Imenti South Sub-county. The study is guided by three objectives: establishing the role of church leaders in averting gender based violence in Imenti South Sub-county, examining the involvement of church leaders through pastoral programs in averting gender based violence in Imenti South Sub-county and assessing the influence of church leaders' advocacy against gender base violence in Imenti South Sub-county. The study is carried out in Imenti South Sub-County with a focus on church leaders under the National Council of Churches of Kenya. The study is based on descriptive survey design. The target population in this study included church leaders from different denominations and victims of gender based violence. Purposive sampling will be employed to sample 50 church leaders and 150 victims of gender based violence. Data was be collected using questionnaires for church leaders and scheduled group interviews for gender based violence victims. The data was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively with the aid of the Statistical Package for social sciences (SPSS).  The findings of the study shall be useful to the churches in Kenya on averting gender based violence through leadership.