1.4 Global objective and specific aims
The overall aim of this research is to identify and analyse the
beliefs and attitudes that move South Kivu males towards domestic violence.
The specific aims of this research are:
· To review relevant literature concerning domestic abuse
and men's beliefs and attitudes toward it in South Kivu province.
· To work with men to document their beliefs and attitudes
regarding domestic abuse in South Kivu.
· To investigate the origins, categories and consequences
of violence in the home.
· To suggest some practical ways to seek peace in South
Kivu households.
1.5 Structure of the research
This dissertation is composed of five chapters. The first
chapter deals with the general introduction. This concerns the overall
dissertation as it discovers the key issue for the research. This means that
the beliefs and attitudes of male regarding domestic violence are compared with
the culture of violence and the current situation of domestic assault. The
chapter investigates the context in which the research was relevant to South
Kivu.
The second chapter concerns the literature review. Literature
emphasises some empirical studies that have dealt with domestic violence in
general and in South Kivu, in particular.
The third chapter outlines the methods that the researcher
used in this research. Essentially, this discusses how the study was conducted.
It explains and confirms the choice of data collection methods that were used
for gathering the information and results analysis.
The fourth chapter discusses the results of qualitative data
analysis. It reports and reviews the responses of the key informants to
questions about beliefs and attitudes towards male domestic violence.
The fifth and last chapter is the general conclusion. It
gives the research synopsis and provides some practical recommendations for
further study and for scaling down the rate of domestic violence in South
Kivu.
1.6 Population of the study
The research has focused on beliefs and attitudes towards
male domestic violence in South Kivu. Mirindi (2003:341) believes that, in
life, men are early initiated to domestic violence. Considering this point of
view, men play a role of fostering violence in general and to domestic violence
in particular.
The choice of the sample of respondents to work with in a
focus group is not done in an unprepared way (Parker and Tritter, 2006:27).
Based on this consideration, the researcher selected a sample of fourteen men
whom he worked with. He conducted two focus group interviews with them in order
to collect information regarding male's beliefs and attitudes about domestic
violence towards women in the province. The information that the researcher
collected and the level to which all respondents contributed their views and
shared their personal beliefs and attitudes about their knowledge or life
experiences about domestic violence towards women was of paramount importance
for this research. This choice was facilitated by the local leaders of the area
in which the research was conducted and finally the selected respondents were
invited and briefed about the research.
Gergen (1996:66) recognises that sampling issues are key if
their relation to the form and quality of interaction among the informants of a
focus group is to be considered. The informants to this research originate from
DRC, the province of South Kivu, rural or urban men. These participants belong
to different social statuses, different religious beliefs and tribes, different
levels of education and their ages range between 26 and 69.
The outcomes of this research added to the others that have
been conducted before as to
solidify the understanding of male's beliefs and
attitudes regarding domestic violence
towards women in the province. The
results that have come out from this research should not
be understood beyond the above described margins. This
research is not exhaustive and it can still be dug deeply for a better
understanding of the motives that are behind men's attitudes and beliefs that
fuel violence in the homes.
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