A brutal man battered his wife and sexually assaulted her in Mombasa as the world marked the International Women’s Day yesterday.

She is nursing injuries at the Coast General Hospital after the deadly assault by her husband. Medical evidence suggested that objects had been inserted in her private parts.

Make-up

The violence was meted on her because she had put on make-up which her husband did not approve.

Mary (not her real name), told The Standard that a man she has lived with for 10 years beat her up following a disagreement.

Gloomy

“My husband told me to shave my hair and stop wearing make-up but I told him to consider that I had long hair and wore make-up even before I met him. He beat me and threatened to burn me alive with my children,” said the mother of two.

Hospital staff said Mary was stable and waived some charges as is the norm when dealing with victims of gender-based violence. Topister Juma of the Muslim for Human Rights organisation said that incidents like this made this year’s International Women’s Day gloomy.

The perpetrator, her husband is still at large.