Abstract:
The study aimed to assess the influence of gender-based violence (GBV) in the workplace environment of small and medium-sized enterprises in Makina, Nairobi County. It examined experiences of victims of Gender-Based Violence in SME workplace environment. The study used a descriptive research design and targeted 500 men and women aged 18 and above, from which a sample of 222 participants was drawn. Qualitative data was collected using focus group discussions and in-depth key informant interviews. Statistical Package for Social Science (version 25) was used to evaluate quantitative data, which was then presented in tables and bar graphs. Fear of job stability and work relationships is the most significant barrier to reporting GBV. Verbal abuse (26.7%), work threats (17.44%), offensive remarks and texts (12.31%), and hostile behaviour (11.79%) are the common kinds of GBV among SMEs. Individuals' main costs of GBV (83.1%) are lack of job motivation, lower self-esteem, despair, anger, anxiety, and irritability. GBV generates an unfavorable working environment (73.3%) in SMEs, and contributes to a cycle of poverty (59.5%) in society due to the high expense of legal and criminal justice (51.3%) and rehabilitation (40.5%). The study concludes that workplace GBV is a structural problem that harms the normal functioning of an individual, the enterprise, and the working environment, and recommends mitigation through research, awareness creation, and the strengthening of GBV mitigation infrastructure.
