Embu men no longer at ease, as spouses beat them up, deny conjugal rights

Busy street in Embu town [Courtesy]

Embu men have formed a self-help group to defend the rights of their members who are routinely twangad by their spouses and their children. They claim they are also denied conjugal rights, among other benefits.

The Inua Wazee lobby claimed that when they lodged complaints with the local police, they are ridiculed and urged to “man up.”

Without the benefit of their history—at this point, one is unable to map out how many men are suffering at the hand of their wives, or even how they got there in the first place— some time-tested interventions could help.

 One would be the establishment of “gender desks,” where sensitive policemen would be trained to identify and support battered men.

These officers should be trained to look for tell-tale signs of abuse, beyond physical scars.  

For instance, if a man trembles at the mere mention of his wife’s name, or asking her to join him and record a statement, then the police should be discerning enough to know when to provide counselling support and when to pursue criminal charges.

 The other avenues to support such men would be the council of elders. Every community has sages who have been holding communities together by reminding them of the potency of our cultures.  

 But if the women of Embu are hell-bent on clobbering the elders, who might be seen as an extension of the menfolk they are accused of brutalising, then the elders could attempt issuing a curse against such folks.

Only that we don’t know what the men in question have done to offend their women.