A Reflection on how Peacebuiding skills can Mitigate Gender Based Violence in Kenyan Universities.

Abstract

Gender based violence (GBV) is a cross-cutting issue that continues to attract prominent attention as a serious violation of human rights. It is deeply rooted in unequal gendered social norms and power imbalance. It is one of the major topical issues in Kenya’s daily media mainstream. Attempts to mitigate the effects of GBV have remained futile both at local and international levels even after launching different frameworks and interventions. This research was part of the bigger research which sought to explore how peacebuilding skills could be used to mitigate GBV with a focus on female university peer counsellors.The study employed Participatory Action Research (PAR). It also adopted a transformative worldview with a focus on mixed methods design. Surveys, Interviews, and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), were used during data collection.Data was analysed using SPSS and thematic content analysis. Findings revealed that GBV was prevalent in the institutions of higher learning and mechanisms to mitigate it remain superficial. It was also revealed that when youth are equipped with peacebuilding skills like peer counseling, they have the potential to transform and create a culture of peace where they can enjoy the right to education and uphold human rights