Mteja hapatikani: GBV hotline goes silent on male victims
Silenced distress calls: A hotline fully dedicated to men victims of GBV has gone out of service due to lack of funds, leaving victims vulnerable.
What you need to know:
- A toll-free hotline dedicated to providing support and counselling for men who are victims of GBV was forced to shut down in December 2022 due to lack of funds after over a year of operation.
- The closure of the 1198 hotline has left many abused men without a lifeline, as the service received up to 1,500 distress calls monthly from men in distress.
A hotline fully dedicated to men victims of gender-based violence (GBV) has gone out of service due to lack of funds.
The 1198 launched in June 2021, when Covid-19 had turned families upside down, pushing men and women to the edges of economic disruption, emotional and psychological stretch, served to heal the wounded men who had otherwise nowhere to turn to.
The toll free line then opened and run by Dan Shieshie Foundation, has been out of service since December last year following end of philanthropic support.
Dan Shieshie, the founder and victim of GBV says his resources pooled together from savings and a loan have run dry trying to revive it.
“I'm struggling like this (to revive it) because I don't want another man to go through what I went through,” he says.
Dan was burnt with acid by his ex-wife in 2013.
During the time, the line was in service, Dan says the nine counsellors on call would receive up to 1,500 distress calls each month, from men across the country, some on the verge of committing suicide due to loss or lack of jobs, and constant abuse by their wives.
“Most men were physically assaulted by their wives, locked out or denied food,” he says.
“There were others who said I have no food, I’m so hungry. To save the situation, the counsellors would send them their own money to meet their immediate needs,” he says.
Dan Shieshie, the founder of Dan Shieshie Foundation. His ex-wife burnt him with acid in 2013.
At the moment, Dan says he neither has money to sustain the counsellors nor cover the operational costs, which can go beyond Sh400,000 per month depending on the number of calls received.
The higher the number of calls, the higher the bill invoiced by the communication service provider, offering the hotline.
“I feel sad that we are unable to reach men who desperately need our service,” he says.
Through the telephone, men would be counselled and advised to report abuse, and seek medication, Dan says.
“I don't know what's happening to those men now,” he notes.
“I plea with development partners to support the running of this hotline. Men are suffering out there and they really need help.”
