Domestic Violence in Nigeria
Apr 20th, 2011 by admin
Domestic violence is gradually becoming the order of the day in Nigeria. It is not only common to have women complain about how violent their husbands have become but how indifferent their respective families are toward the situation. Mrs. Adele, not her real name recently complained about not losing sleep when the insults started, then the slaps and kicks followed. It was when she almost died that she decided to make a formal report to the police. The trend has become so disturbing with stories of women been bath with acid, stabbed and killed. Reports have also found that the acid bath that left the women badly disfigured were deliberate violence intended to kill the women. The down side to this current ugly trend is the non-availability of data on these cases. In a recent small- scale study of gender inequality in Lagos and Oyo states, 40 percent of the women interviewed said they had been victims of violence in their families for years. The study concluded that there was no documentation on violence on women because of the tolerance to it.
In Nigeria, it is generally accepted that women should accept whatever situation is ongoing in the home and if she cannot, then the problem, whatever it may be lies with her. Mrs. Akin lost her four month pregnancy when her husband kicked and beat her. The sad part of her story is she refuses to press charges as her main concern is keeping her home. She had another baby four years later, though the doctors never linked the delay in getting pregnant to the abuse. One can safely draw conclusions. Recently, The Punch’s editorial of April 15. 2011 carried the story of a monarch who allegedly raped a youth corper. Many found it strange that she actually reported the case. The fact is many women are suffering silently. The stigma attached to such cases says a lot about the need for a re-education and re-orientation. I spoke with Mr. Owolabi on what he thought about the monarch raping a youth corper. He shrugged his shoulders saying the lady was simply lying to get attention, that she must have wanted it.
Four years ago, May 2007, the Lagos State government passed a law into place “The Domestic Violence Law”. The law which is in place to assist women and men in the society is largely unknown by the general public. The law was enacted by the government due to high prevalence of domestic violence. So, what is Domestic Violence? The Oxford dictionary defines it as violence or physical abuse directed toward your spouse or domestic partner; usually violence by men against women. As defined by law it is the use of force to cause physical injury, harm or damage within the home. Acts such as physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional abuse all fall under this category. However the act of domestic violence cuts across all strata’s of the society, a person’s social class does not exclude violence in the home. Statistics have shown that it does not respect religion, culture or tradition.
In 2001, a survey was conducted by Project alert on violence against women; interviews were conducted with women working in markets, women in other work places and with girls and young women in secondary schools. They were asked about physical abuse in the family, rape and reporting incidents of violence in Lagos state. 64.4 percent of the 45 women interviewed said they had been beaten by a partner, boyfriend or husband. 56.2 percent of 48 market women interviewed had experienced the same type of violence.
Amnesty international says the government of Nigeria is partly responsible for this “shocking numbers”, because they are doing nothing about addressing the problem. The issue is women are faced with the cultural factor, keeping silent rather than voicing their problems because of the stigma attached to such behaviors. Paramount is the Police who say it is not a problem as it is our culture. So, considering that the society condones the behavior, women in Nigeria would continue to endure the torture of suffering silently.
Women are beautiful and should be treated as such. Therefore as women our voices must be heard to ensure that this ugly trend is curbed, measures must be put in place to effectively target these attitudes. To do one’s duty is to eat the prized fruit of honour.
The problem is education. Women need to wake up and realise that they can change their circumstance.