Domestic Violence against Men in Intimate Relationship: An Experience Learned from Men in Zambia

Gender Based Violence (GBV) has been framed and understood exclusively as a woman’s issue. Much of the research on GBV portrays men as perpetrators and women as victims of this violence. While it is true that most gender based violence occur against women, it is not true that women are the only victims and that men are the only perpetrators. However, reasons why and how GBV against men is exhibited are unknown in Zambia. It is the bias in research that has led to the framing of gender based violence as solely perpetrated by men against women portraying the latter as only victims. It is on these grounds that this study aims at exploring the causes and types of gender based violence (GBV) against men from the lenses of the perpetrators (women) and the victims (men) in one of Zambia’s compounds in Choma town. The study drew its sample from fifty-nine (59) wives and twenty-one (21) husbands, making a total sample of eighty (80) respondents. Data was analyzed qualitatively using themes and patterns which were identified from the focus group discussions and in-depth interviews to generate descriptions of the phenomenon under study. The study revealed that women’s violence towards men was caused by: poor financial support, infidelity, beer drinking, non-involvement in household chores, suspicions and jealousy, husband’s late coming and dependence of husbands on their wives (lacking source of income).