Influence of Economic Dependency on the Prevalence of Gender Based Violence in the Kuria Community in Kuria East Sub County, Migori County - Kenya

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) continues to remain prevalent in sections of our society despite increased awareness on human rights and legislations against GBV. GBV has life-threatening, long-term, and traumatic effects on victims, families, and the society. This study sought to explore the influence of economic dependency on the prevalence of gender based violence in the Kuria community in Kuria East Sub County, Migori County – Kenya. Conflict Theory guided the study. Mixed Method approach together with descriptive and Sequential Exploratory Designs were employed to guide on the data collection and analysis. The target population comprised of community leaders, health care service providers, rescue centers, pre-selected women and girls and administration officers with a sample size of 400 respondents, identified by stratified random sampling technique using the Yamane formula. Data was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Quantitatively, data was analyzed using statistical techniques with the help of SPSS v.27 and thematically using narration for the qualitative data. Data was presented using tables, graphs, charts and verbatim. The research findings revealed that socio-economic factors indeed predispose victims to GBV by undermining their autonomy, shrouded in illiteracy, backward cultures, and disdain for divorce. The study further established that: Economic Dependency recorded a strong positive correlation; R = 0.541 (P = 0.000, P <0.05). In conclusion, GBV proves to still be masked in a culture of silence, surrounded by stigma but its consequences are rather loud. The study proves that crisis intervention is still ineffective thus requires reinforcement; recommending interventions like multi-agency collaboration, legal reparation, support structures and strengthened health systems. Key words: Economic dependency, Gender based violence, prevalence