"It is like it is a normal thing for women to be treated by their husbands as punching bags. "The Nigerian man thinks that a woman is his inferior. Right from childhood, right from infancy, the boy is preferred to the girl. Even when they marry out of love, they still think the woman is below them and they do whatever they want." -Obong Rita Akpan, former Nigerian minister for women's affairs

Domestic Violence On The Rise In Nigeria
BY Patience Akosile, Phd., Michael Nnandi, Phd., and Dr. Tony Antai, Ob/Gyn

Domestic violence in Nigeria is a problem as in many parts of Africa. There is a deep cultural belief in Nigeria that it is socially acceptable to hit a woman to discipline a spouse. Domestic violence is widespread and shows no signs of lessening in Nigeria. The CLEEN Foundation (Centre for Law Enforcement Education) reports 1 in every 3 respondents admitting to being a victim of domestic violence. The survey also found a nationwide increase in domestic violence in the past 3 years from 21% in 2011 to 30% in 2013.

Domestic violence takes many forms including physical, se**al, emotional, and mental. Traditionally, domestic violence is committed against females. Common forms of violence against women in Nigeria are rape, acid attacks, molestation, wife beating, and corporal punishment. The Nigerian government has taken legal proceeding to prosecute men who abuse their women in several states. There is currently a push in Nigeria for federal laws concerning domestic violence and for a stronger national response and support for domestic violence issues.

*Physical Violence

Women often face physical violence at the hands of their family members. The most common forms of physical violence include r**e, murder, slapping, and kicking. Some of the reasons that were given for physical abuse include their husbands being drunk, financial issues, and the rejection of a partner’s se**al advances. Relationship inequality is also a strong indicator of physical violence. High levels of wife beating occur when the woman is making more money than her husband or partner is. This has been attributed to the lack of control the male partner feels within the relationship. Women also often link the perpetration of physical violence with husbands who are very controlling. Women who justify wife beating are more likely to be victims of physical violence.

Another form of violence which has received a lot of recent attention in Nigeria is acid baths. Acid baths are actions of violence where the perpetrator throws acid onto his or her victim’s body, resulting in disfigurement and possible loss of eyesight. Acid baths are a large issue for women. In 1990, a former beauty queen rejected her boyfriend's attempts to rekindle their relationship. In retaliation, he threw acid in her face with the words "let me see how any man will love you now".

*Se**al Violence

Se**al violence in Nigeria largely goes unreported because of the burden of proof necessary for conviction as well as the social stigma it brings. Nigerian police have not been seen to arrest for se**al assault resulting in less reporting of the act. About 25% of women reported forced s*x at the hands of either their current partner or a former partner.

*Factors Influencing Domestic Violence

The social context of violence in Nigeria is based largely on its patriarchal society. Violence against a wife is seen as a tool that a husband uses to chastise his wife and to improve her. The common loss of women’s rights upon marriage in Sub-Saharan Africa and the implicit obedience and deference towards men is socially encouraged within their society.

The Yoruba women refer to their husbands as “olowo ori mi” meaning he who owns me. In effect, marriage gives up a woman's right to herself. In practices where a bride price is paid, it is common for the husband to believe that by paying the bride price, he now owns his wife. The act of marriage is seen to give the husband full ownership of the woman. She surrenders her right to her body to him as well as her agency.

Other factors linked with domestic violence are lower socioeconomic classes, substance abuse, couple age disparity, and unemployment.
Another cause of domestic violence is infertility. When looking at a study taken by infertile women visiting a fertility clinic, many women reported some form of domestic violence- whether physical, mental, or emotional. There were also trends showing that Yoruba women were more likely to experience violence in this case.

*Perceptions Of Domestic Violence

The perceptions of domestic violence vary based on region, religion, and class. For example, the Tiv view wife beating as a “sign of love” that should be encouraged as evidenced with the statement “If you are not yet beaten by your husband then you do not know the joy of marriage and that means you are not yet married”.

All the major ethnic groups in Nigeria- Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa- have strong patriarchal societal structures that lead to the justification of domestic violence. However, the Hausa are more supportive of domestic violence and viewing it as an inherent right of a husband.

There are differences in the perceptions of domestic violence varying across reasons. There are higher numbers for instances like neglecting the children or going out without telling the husband and less for refusal of sex or a mere argument. Many of the reasons that are viewed as acceptable for domestic violence are largely subjective to a husband's interpretation. For example, common acceptable beatings among men are lack of respect for husband, stubbornness, imposition of will on husband, and failure of wifely duties.

The 2008 NDHS did a study to view the acceptability of wife beating in Nigeria. They put forward five scenarios and asked both men and women. With women, there were trends found in viewing wife beating as more acceptable. It was viewed as more acceptable in rural areas, among married versus unmarried women, uneducated women, and poor women. The reason most viewed as justified for beating was going out without telling the husband. The relationships were about the same for men.

*Responses To Domestic Violence

Women experiencing domestic violence have varying responses and differences in who they report their abuse to. In a study done in Ilorin, Nigeria, a large number of women reported their abuse to family and friends while not many decided to go to the police to file a report. The rationale behind not going to the police is various such as the fear of victim-blaming, acceptance of violence as proper reaction, and the lack of police action.

One major issue facing the domestic violence issues in Nigeria are the tendency for low reported rates. A study looking at domestic violence in southwest Nigeria found that only 18.6% reported experienced or acted violence between themselves and their spouse. However, the same study also shows that 60% of the respondents claimed to have witnessed violence between a separate couple. These statistics show that there may be a tendency for under-reporting which can occur for various reasons.

One main reason for the high levels of under-reporting are that it is seen as taboo to involve the police in family matters. They view the separation of the two as important and the police force ascribes to this notion as well. Police hesitate to intervene even with lodged complaints unless the abuse goes over the customary amount usually seen in the region.

*Experience Of Pregnant Women

Pregnant women experience high levels of domestic violence in Nigeria. They are subject to violence not only from their spouses, but also from their in-laws. In a study, they found that the most common type of domestic violence was to be physically assaulted and then, also be victims of forced se**al intercourse.

A study in the nation’s capital, Abuja, carried out over a course of 3 months in 2005 showed physical, se**al, and psychological abuse among pregnant women. One third of the female respondents reported experiencing domestic violence. They found psychological abuse to be the highest type of abuse followed by physical and then sexual. Women who experienced psychological abuse also experienced physical abuse. In terms of the physical abuse, about 20% of the women required medical treatment due to the abuse and the most frequent medical complication reported was premature labor.

Overall, the trends of domestic violence against pregnant women permeate across different ethnic groups and Nigerian states. The trends are consistent with other parts of Africa and the attitudes towards violence against pregnant women are in conjunction with the aforementioned trend viewing domestic violence as permissible under certain circumstances.

*Experience Of HIV Positive Women

In Nigeria, there is a correlation between being HIV positive and domestic violence. Women who are diagnosed with HIV are at high risk for intimate partner violence. With HIV, there is also a tendency to stay in abusive relationships.

In a study of 652 HIV positive pregnant women in Lagos, 429 women reported being the victims of violence. Of those reporting violence, 74% of the respondents said the abuse occurred after the disclosure of her HIV status. Women reported verbal abuse, threat of physical violence, and se**al deprivation once they disclosed their HIV positive status. Psychological abuse was the most commonly reported version of received violence.

Predictors of violence were women’s age, marital status, disclosure and partner’s educational status. The highest levels of IPV among HIV positive were found in the age group 25–33 years old. Among the husbands, the highest levels came from those with an educational attainment of secondary school. More of than not, they were in a polygamous marriage.

Women who are victims of domestic violence are also at a higher risk of contracting HIV through various mechanisms. It becomes more difficult for them to adopt safe s*x practices especially in the case of se**al abuse and forced se**al acts. The trauma of the domestic violence also ends up impacting later se**al behaviors.

*Laws On Domestic Violence

While domestic violence is a violation of fundamental human rights, which the Nigerian Constitution is against, there are still provisions that make it legal to engage in domestic violence against women. The provision of the Penal Code applicable in the Northern part of Nigeria specifically encourages violence against women. Underneath its provisions, the beating of a wife for the purpose of correction is legal (Section 55 (1) (d) of the Penal Code).

Nigeria ratified the convention for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 1985 but international treaties can only go into effect when Parliament has put in a corresponding domestic law thereby limiting the international treaty to disuse. Rape is criminalized and under the law, the sentence can range from 10 years to life. There are also fines of about $1,280.

Amnesty International criticized Nigeria's judicial system due to its conviction rate of 10 percent of rape prosecutions. In an attempt to battle the issue of police discretion and inactivity, Lagos held a two-day sensitization workshop on Domestic Violence law as it applied in the state.

In 2013, Nigeria passed a federal law to reduce gender- based violence. The Violence against Persons Bill gave harsher punishments for se**al violence and also provided support and measures such as restraining orders to prevent the continuation of abuse.

When cases do make it to court, they are usually stagnant. In 2010, the traditional king of Akure physically and bloodily assaulted one of his wives resulting in her death. At the urging of the public, the police made a statement that they would press charges. The case was dismissed in 2012.

*Organizations For Domestic Violence

Nigeria has some non profit organizations and non governmental organizations that attempt to provide support for victims of domestic violence.
The Women and Child Watch Initiative is a nonprofit providing support to women and children who are victims of domestic trials such as violence and forced marriages. They also organize training programs for female lawyers to defend women's rights in domestic violence in court.

References:
thisdaylive.com
Project Alert: The Women and Child Watch Initiative
Amnesty International Conference on Domestic Violence (Supplement - Winter 2013-Spring 2014)

I will read later

This is a truly depressing article.

But let's be a bit more realistic. Domestic violence is not exclusive to women alone. There are some men out there who get it too from their partners. Most common form is the emotional abuse and I think these men suffer in silence, more so because society as a whole deems it "unmanly" for a man to admit he's at the receiving end of it.

which kain long article be dis ?

lofty900: which kain long article be dis ?

If you wanna hide something from a black man, put it in writing...

With enlightenment and education, this will be phased out in time

The most important factor enabling this is the lack of a support network for women who leave abusive relationships

Efemenaxy1:

If you wanna hide something from a black man, put it in writing...

you mean an "uneducated" black man.

lofty900: you mean an "uneducated" black man.

But you did complain about the length of the article na, abi? Okay, lemme rephrase my original statement:

If you wanna hide something from a black man, put it in an "extensively long" article...

EfemenaXY:

But you did complain about the length of the article na, abi? Okay, lemme rephrase my original statement:

If you wanna hide something from a black man, put it in an "extensively long" article...

efemena, my favorite novel series are mario puzo's series. If ur familiar with the godfather, the last don, the sicilian, the family , etc you will know how thick and voluminous they are. My point is I love reading but not reading on a screen, its bad for my sight. I visited ur blog and dropped a mail. Nice work

lofty900: efemena, my favorite novel series are mario puzo's series. If ur familiar with the godfather, the last don, the sicilian, the family , etc you will know how thick and voluminous they are. My point is I love reading but not reading on a screen, its bad for my sight. I visited ur blog and dropped a mail. Nice work

Yeah, I've read some of those books - aeons ago.

Yep, I did see your comment too. Cheers man! And good morning!!

EfemenaXY:

Yeah, I've read some of those books - aeons ago.

Yep, I did see your comment too. Cheers man! And good morning!!

is it also morning in london ? good morning To u