Domestic violence is prominent in Nigeria as in other parts of Africa. There is a deep cultural belief in Nigeria that it is socially acceptable to hit a woman as a disciplinary measure. Cases of domestic violence remain high and show no signs of reduction in Nigeria, regardless of age, tribe, religion, or even social status. The CLEEN Foundation reports that 1 in every 3 respondents identified as 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.CLEEN Foundation. "National Crime Victimazation Surveys". 2013. A CLEEN Foundation's 2012 National Crime and Safety Survey demonstrated that 31% of the national sample confessed to being victims of domestic violence."Nigeria." Social Institutions & Gender Index. Social Institutions & Gender Index, n.d. Web. 01 May 2016.
Domestic violence takes many forms including physical, sexual, 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.Noah, Yusuf. "Incidence and Dimension of Violence Against Women in the Nigerian Society". Centrepoint Journal, 2000.
The Nigerian government has taken legal proceedings to prosecute men who abuse 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.
Incidents of domestic violence in Nigeria include battery, beatings, torture, acid baths, rape, and consequently, death. It is, however, estimated that approximately one in every three women suffers domestic violence and Intimate Partner Violence from the hands of those who claim to love and supposedly, protect them. The menace is eating deep as most of the victims do not speak out about violations of their rights, a result of nonchalance, insensitivity, and negative response from their immediate family and society at large.
On the 27th of February, 2021, The Guardian, Nigeria, recorded in their Saturday edition that cases of domestic violence, especially the physical aspect of it, remain high. They reported that at least once a week, there's a case of a man beating, maiming or killing his wife, and in some very rare cases, a woman dealing with her husband in the same manner.
Physical violence In Nigeria, women would usually face physical violence at the hands of their loved ones, family members, and the society. The most common forms of this violence include rape, murder, slapping, and kicking."No Safe Haven: An Annual Report of Attacks on Women in Nigeria". Project Alert on Violence Against Women. Some possible reasons given for this assaults include drunk state of spouses, financial issues resulting in cases of possible frustration, and the rejection of sexual advances from the partner.Project Alert, "Beyond Boundaries: Violence Against Women in Nigeria, Lagos, 2001.
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. 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.Antai, Diddy. "Controlling behavior, power relations within intimate relationships and intimate partner physical and sexual violence against women in Nigeria". BMC Public Health. 2011. 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 that needs to be addressed. 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".
Sexual violence Sexual violence in Nigeria largely goes unreported because of the burden of proof necessary for conviction as well as the social stigma it brings.Bazza, H.I. Societies without Borders. 2009. Nigerian police has not been seen to arrest for sexual assault resulting in less reporting of the act.
About 25% of women reported forced sex at the hands of either their current partner or a former partner.Watts and Zimmerman. Violence against women: global scope and magnitude. 2002.
Furthermore, the 2008 Demographic and Health Survey showed that over 30.5% of married women have experienced at least one or more forms of physical, emotional or sexual violence in their marriage. Most girls or women in Nigeria have experienced sexual assault, either through domestic violence or other forms. Many of the young girls(teenagers) that are going to school or to university have been sexually harassed, either by their lecturers in the tertiary level or in the secondary level. Girls at the age of 16 and above have immediately become a mother which makes them give up their education. Boys also have experienced sexual assault at early ages. Many of them have been assaulted by their aunt, teacher, neighbours or Nani's. Rape is now paramount in every community, and currently there is no solution to it.
Influencing factors 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.
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.Arisi, Regina. Cultural Violence and the Nigerian Woman. African Research Review. 2011
Other factors linked with domestic violence are lower socioeconomic classes, substance abuse, couple age disparity, and unemployment.Obi, SN and Ozumba, BC. "Factors Associated with Domestic Violence in Southeast Nigeria. Journal of Gynaecology, 2007."
Another cause of domestic violence is infertility. When looking at a study taken by infertile woman visiting a fertility clinic, many women reported some form of domestic violence- whether physical, mental, or emotional. There were also trends showing that the Yoruba tribe women were more likely to experience violence in this case.Ameh, Onuh, Okohue, et al. "Burden of domestic violence amongst infertile women attending infertility clinics in Nigeria". Nigerian Journal of Medicine, 2007.
Perceptions The perceptions of domestic violence vary based on region, religion, and class. For example, the Tiv view wife beating as a "sign of love" is widely encouraged considering 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".Oyediran, KA and Isiugo-Abaniher, U. "Perceptions of Nigerian women on domestic violence". African Journal of Reproductive Health, 2005
All the major ethnic groups in Nigeria- Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa- have strong patriarchial societal structures that lead to the justification of domestic violence. However, the Hausa are more supportive of domestic violence and view it as an inherent right of a husband.Kritz MM and P Makinwa-Adebusoye. Ethnicity, work and family as determinants of women's decision-making autonomy in Nigeria. Population and Development Program. 2006
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.Ogunjuyigbe, Akinlo & Ebigbola. "Violence against Women". Journal of Asian and African Studies, 2005
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.Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. National Population Commission. 2008
Responses Women experiencing domestic violence have varying responses and differences in who they report their abuses 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 is 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 underreporting which can occur for various reasons.
One main reason for the high levels of under-reporting is that it is seen as a taboo to involve the police in family matters.Ilika et al. "Intimate Partner Violence among Women of Childbearing Age in a Primary Health Care Centre in Nigeria". Women's Health and Action Research Centre. 2002 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.Ameh, N. and Abdul, M.A. "Prevalence of Domestic Violence amongst Pregnant Women in Zaira, Nigeria". Annals of African Medicine, 2004 In a study, they found that the most common type of domestic violence was to be physically assaulted and forced sexual intercourse.
A study in the nation's capital, Abuja, carried out over a course of 3 months in 2005 showed physical, sexual, 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.Efetie, ER and Salami, HA. "Domestic Violence on Pregnant Women in Abuja, Nigeria". Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2007 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. A big issue across many African countries, not just Nigeria, is the poor reproductive health systems women are provided with. Most of the women in need are women who have been exposed to sexual violence and rape, yet the country is not able to provide them with the aid they need.