DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN NIGERIA

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN NIGERIA

Abuse of women in their own homes is becoming a bigger problem around the world. It doesn’t care about race, class, or culture. Over the course of human history, violence against women has plagued most countries. Domestic abuse affects women in Africa just like it does everywhere else, regardless of age, socioeconomic level, or religious affiliation (Hamm, 2000). Domestic violence is a major issue in many parts of the world, and it is not limited to men. Intimate partner violence, especially physical violence, is pervasive in both industrialized and developing nations. When someone uses force that could lead to another person’s death, disability, injury, or harm, we call that “physical violence.” The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action further defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that causes or has the potential to cause bodily, sexual, or psychological injury or distress to women, including threats of these acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty” (WHO, 2005). Domestic violence is when someone hurts or hurts someone else in the home on purpose and keeps doing it repeatedly. When talking about violence against women, the concepts “domestic violence” and “intimate partner violence” (IPV) are occasionally used interchangeably, even though IPV mostly refers to violence against women perpetrated by intimate partners (World Health Organization, 2012). It means that one family member hurts another in a way that breaks the law of basic human rights. One in three women face domestic violence at the hands of individuals who claim to love and protect them, according to estimates. In addition, it is anticipated that one in five women may experience some type of violence in her lifetime, resulting in significant injury or death. As in many other African nations, it is customary in Nigeria to beat spouses and children (UNICEF, 2001; Aihie, 2009). Therefore, parents believe it is okay to hit their kids. In a same manner, they are establishing discipline in them. such as when husbands physically abuse their wives, who are viewed as child indiscipline is a problem that needs to be addressed. This is especially true if the lady is financially independent. reliant upon the man. Amnesty Worldwide (2005) A research on Nigeria shows that women had an average of are maltreated and assaulted for alleged offenses, raped and perhaps killed by family members.

In certain instances, brutal acid attacks leave victims with horrifying disfigurements. Too often, this kind of violence is given a pass. and accepted by communities without being called out. Most of the time, husbands, partners, and fathers are to blame. about how women are being hurt. One out of every three women and 15–24-year-old girls have been hurt by violence. Men have hurt women, both those who are married and those who are not. Nigerian women often must deal with violence at home. In Nigeria, at least 65 percent of educated women are in this dire situation, which is worse than that of low-income women. Sadly, 97.2 percent of assaulted women do not report the crime to the police.

Nigerian society is mostly patriarchal, which means that men are in charge and women are lower on the totem pole. So, domestic violence is a way for customary society to make sure that women play the role that is expected of them. So, whether the woman is financially reliant or not, her position is still inferior to that of the children. Domestic violence against women is commonly perceived in Nigeria as something that occurs in the private realm and hence remains hidden from public view. A culture of silence makes the victim’s shame worse instead of punishing the person who did the wrong thing (Afrolnews, 2007; Aihie, 2009). Worryingly, many women do not know whether or not they have been mistreated. This could be due to the perception that some sorts of abuse are “normal.” In 2005, Oyediran and Isugo did a study on how women in Nigeria felt about husbands beating their wives. They found that 64.4% of married women and 50.4% of women who had never been married agreed that husbands should beat their wives. Reports in the print and electronic media show that intimate partners of women attack them in different ways, like giving them an acid bath, raping them, or beating them. Some of these attacks can kill the victim. But many victims don’t go to the police because they’re afraid their abusers will get back at them or because they think the police and courts can’t help. People also say that the police often don’t take domestic violence reports seriously because they are “private matters.” So, most cases of violence against women don’t get reported because the women who are hurt would rather keep quiet (Adebayo and Kolawole, 2013). Similarly, there is a general perception that the law enforcement agencies in Nigeria are not properly trained and corrupt.

Forms of Domestic Violence

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is the use of physical force in a way that hurts or puts in danger the person being hurt. It includes female genital mutilation, incarceration, beating, kicking, knocking, pushing, and choking. One of the most typical types of physical abuse is physical abuse.

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse, which covers all types of exploitation, harassment, and violence involving sexual content. It involves utilizing coercion to make someone engage in sexual activities as well as child pornography and child prostitution. This also covers marital rape.

Neglect 

This includes not giving dependent adults or children food, clothes, a place to live, medical care, protection from violence, or a perception of someone being loved and respected.

Economic Abuse 

Economic abuse consists of robbing or cheating a family member, refusing to pay for necessities such as food and medical care, coercing or abusing a family member for financial gain, preventing a family member from working or dictating the type of work that person performs.

Emotional Abuse 

This puts a person at risk for significant behavioural, cognitive, emotional, or mental illnesses, as well as endangers them or their property and diminishes their feeling of self-worth. It consists of shouting at a partner, which Obi and Ozunba (2007) identified as the most common kind of abuse. Emotional abuse also includes name-calling, criticism, social exclusion, intimidation or exploitation to dominate, persistently making unreasonable demands, verbally or physically frightening a person, and exposing a child to violence.

Consequences of Domestic Violence

Numerous victims of domestic abuse, including husbands and wives, children and parents, dependent relatives, elderly relatives, and domestic servants, are financially, emotionally, or physically dependent on the offender. Frequently among the victims of domestic violence are children. A child’s mental health can take a serious hit if they are exposed to or live in a situation where another person, typically a caretaker, is a victim of abuse. Straus (1994) found that children whose parents used physical punishment were more likely to be depressed and consider suicide than those whose parents used alternative forms of discipline. It has been observed by several research that the IQs of children whose moms were abused by their boyfriends are lower than average (BBC. New Education, 2003). Domestic violence during pregnancy poses grave risks to both the mother and the unborn child. Pregnancy complications, such as STIs, early birth, miscarriage, teen pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, uterine haemorrhage, preeclampsia, stillbirth, and low birth weight, are more common among DV victims (Cook & Bewley, 2008). Women who have been abused before or during pregnancy report mental health problems like anxiety, homicide, eating disorders, postpartum depression, and suicide thought. It is pertinent to note that domestic violence limits the progress of women in society. For example, these women are unable to complete their education, and many are unable to pursue their career goals because they are being maltreated. Similarly, these women end up in depression while some who are unable to bear the pain resort to committing suicide. It should also be noted that domestic violence endorses the narrative that women are second class citizens and are lesser than their male counterparts. 

It is important to mention that domestic violence has thrived in Nigeria because of the weakness of the law. By implication, the enforcement of laws appears to be a big issue. Similarly, law enforcement agencies are not trusted by many Nigerians. This results in a culture of silence and most consider domestic violence to be a private affair. Also, there appears to be a cultural justification of domestic violence which makes it difficult to break. Women tend to endure their abuse partly because many attach stigma to a woman leaving her husband’s house because of abuse.

Conclusion and Recommendation

The study showed that domestic violence against women is a common problem that is made worse in part by the economic situation of women and social attitudes that support it. The study recommends that all cases of domestic violence should be reported to law enforcement agencies. This should be done irrespective of family ties. In the same vein, there needs to be a strategic partnership between the government and NGOs to project the rights of women through sensitization programmes. Accordingly, the rights of women should be stated clearly to the Nigerian populace. Notably, social media platforms should be used a means of projecting the ills and negative effect of domestic violence. Finally, those who perpetrate domestic violence against women should be punished by the law as this would serve as deterrence to others.

References

AfrolNews (2007). Half of Nigeria’s Women Experience Domestic Violence. Retrieved 4th     November 2022, from http://www.afro.com/articles/16471.

BBC News Education (2003) Violence at Home hits children’s IQ. Retrieved 4th November    2022, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/ education/2981312.stm .

Adebayo, A., Kolawole TO (2013). Domestic Violence and Death, Women as Endangered    Gender in Nigeria. Am. J. Sociol. Res. 3(3),53-60.

Cook, J., & Bewley, S. (2008). Acknowledging a persistent truth: Domestic violence in     pregnancy. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 101, 358–363.

Aihie, O (2009). Prevalence of Domestic Violence in Nigeria: Implication for Counselling.     Edo J. Couns. 2(1),1-8.

Amnesty International, Nigeria: Unheard Voices (2005). Retrieved 3rd November 2022 from    http://web.amnesty.org/ library/index/engafr440042005.

Hamm, S (2000). Violence Against Women Takes Center Stage at the Women’s World    Forum Against Violence, Human Rights Tribune, 7(4) Retrieved 3rd November 2022     from http://www.hri.ca/tribune/ viewArticle.asp? ID=2595.

Oyediran, K., Isiugo-Abanihe, U. (2005) Perceptions of Nigeria Women on Domestic     Violence: Evidence form 2003 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. Afr. J.     Reprod. Health 9(2), 35-53.

WHO (2005). Multi-Country study on women’s health and domestic violence against     women. Summary report of initial results on prevalence, health outcomes and     women’s responses. Geneva: World Health Organization.

UNICEF (2001). Children and Women Rights in Nigeria: A wake up Call Situation     Assessment and Analysis. Edited by Hodge. Abuja: National Population Commission     and UNICEF.

Straus, M (1994) Beating the devil out of them; Corporal Punishment in American families.     New York. Lexington Books.

World Health Organization. (2012). Understanding and addressing violence against women.    Retrieved 4th November 2022, from     http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/77432/1/WHO_RHR_12.36_eng.pdf.