VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN NIGERIA: PROBLEMS, PANACEAS AND PROSPECTS
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If there is one thing that gives women shudders on a marital
level, it is most likely thoughts of being victims of domestic violence. Before
going into a relationship, young women tend to build their anticipations upon
movie clichés. Marriage, in its genuine sense, could be an epitome of fun,
affection, friendship and so on. However, this dream usually gets ruined when
domestic violence sets in. Imagine the agony that these women will go through
when things take a turn for the worse, and their envisaged empire becomes a
"hell fire". Imagine how hard it could be for them to adapt to a
tyrannical lifestyle after being carried away by the euphoria of marital bliss
in a commitment that probably would last for a lifetime.
I once saw a woman on TV who claimed she had been subjected
to so much torture by the father of her children. "He was the perfect
husband when we first began our marital journey," she said, with tears in
her eyes "but things turned quite awry six years into our marriage. He
would beat me at the slightest provocation and rape me afterwards..." Her
bleary eyes told a real tale of woe, and anyone that saw her could, to some
extent, imagine what her pain was like. After all, we are humans.
To eradicate all feelings of sentimentality, domestic
violence also includes violence against men as it is in accordance with the
definition given by the United States department of justice’s office on
violence against women: "domestic violence is a pattern of abusive
behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain
control over another intimate partner [1]."
Nevertheless, women are much more likely than men to be
victims of domestic violence. A report indicates that 32% of women who had ever
experienced domestic violence did so four or five (or more) times, compared
with 11% of the (smaller number) of men who had ever experienced domestic
violence; and women constituted 89% of all those who had experienced 4 or more
incidents of domestic violence. (Walby and Allen, 2004). It is a common
knowledge and, as a matter of fact, logical to think that men are significantly
more likely than women to be "repeat perpetrators" of violence. Come
to think of it, what if women perpetrators are shaped from the violence they
once experienced?
Domestic violence comes in different forms, the commonest of
which are physical abuse and sexual abuse. A report by the World Health
Organization indicates that, globally, 35% of women have experienced either
physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual
violence, and the regions of the world with the highest reported rates of
sexual and physical violence towards women are Africa, the Middle East and
Southeast Asia [2]. Among others, domestic violence could also take the form of
trying to make the victim financially reliant, intimidation and making the
victim have a low sense of self-worth. However, many women are not aware of
these and, consequently, do not know whether they are being abused or not.
Apart from the lack of knowledge of whether or not one is
being abused, culture plays a vital role in the prevalence of domestic
violence. Taking Nigeria as a case study, UNICEF (2001) asserted that
traditionally, as in many other African countries, the beating of wives and
children is widely sanctioned as a form of discipline. This is because men are
considered superior. Also many women do not report for fear of retaliation by
the perpetrator, shame /embarrassment, the perception of being misunderstood,
or the desire to deal with issues by themselves. According to a statistic on
This Day (2011), staggering 97.2% of them are not prepared to report to the
Nigeria Police. The typical Nigeria
police on the other hand will probably dismiss their complaints on the ground
that it is a private or family matter.
The effect domestic violence has on women cannot be
overemphasized. Sadly, in Nigeria, a country where almost half of its citizens
are women, the incidence of domestic violence is high and its prevalence
unchecked. Many women are being brutally treated by their partners, which, in some
cases, might lead to death. Most of these women have drunkards as
partners, hence, the escalation of verbal to physical abuse. Also, in a case
where the woman is pregnant, it might lead to the loss of that pregnancy. Agbo
and Choji (2014) in the study carried out in Abuja, Nigeria, a mother of one
narrated her ordeal in the hands of her husband who constantly was hitting and
beating her whenever he was drunk, and she lost two pregnancies as a result of
his brutality. They also reported a case of a 34 years old housewife, Mrs.
Fatima Bankole, who had her face stitched 26 times, after she got battered by
her husband, Alhaji Kamoru Bankole for taking a piece of fish from the pot to
break her fast. Imagine such brutality.
In addition, women victims who are forced to be financially
dependent on their abusers have little or no money for survival, and are
eventually compelled to remain in the relationship, enduring every bit of
whatever pain there is left in store for them. Also, In a bid to maintain
financial control, their abusers often deprive them of education, skill and
whatever could later be a means of income for them. Among these women who are
still living with their abusers are often faced with firsthand criticism,
anxiety, stress and depression. On the long run, these victims are faced with
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and may resort to self-harm or attempt
suicide.
As if that is not enough, domestic violence also has
disturbing effects on children. Their exposure to domestic abuse will cause
them to suffer from emotional and behavioural problems like increased
aggressiveness, change in the way they relate with peers and other people and
so on. Most likely, they will model the behaviour to which they have been
exposed and may end up as either perpetrators or victims, continuing the
vicious cycle of violence. In some cases, the abuser will purposely abuse the
mother in front of the child to cause a ripple effect. It has been found that
children who witness mother-assault are more likely to exhibit symptoms of
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Lehmann, 1995). Now that the leaders of
tomorrow are under threat, I wonder what the future of a country like Nigeria
will be like.
It is no longer a news that domestic violence is on the
increase in Nigeria, and considering its daunting effects, there is an urgent
need to curb it. As a matter of fact, domestic violence is a violation of fundamental
human rights, which the Nigerian constitution is against. However, there might
be loopholes for perpetrators. For example, in section 55 (1) (d) of the Penal
Code applicable in the northern part of Nigeria, the beating of wife is legal.
Although it comes with a condition, it still provides a source of escape for
perpetrators. For this reason, there is need for the amendment of the 1959
penal code. Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno revealed that the northern states
governors were concerned that many categories of new crimes that have either
cropped up recently or become more menacing in recent times are not adequately
captured in the Penal Code. These include insurgency, terrorism, RAPE,
kidnapping and cattle rustling [3].
Also, Nigerian government should make more attempts to
battle the issue of the discretion, corruption and inactivity of law
enforcement agents (especially the police) as they pay little or no attention
to complaints of domestic violence. Even when they seem to pay attention and the
cases finally get to court, they are usually stagnant. In 2010, the traditional
king of Akure physically 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 however dismissed in 2012, and the rule of law defeated.
In reality, domestic violence does not always end when the
victim escapes the abuser or tries to terminate the relationship. Often, it
intensifies because the abuser has lost control and may resort to stalking,
harassing or threatening the victim. This is more reason why law enforcement
agents need to hold abusers accountable for the abuse they inflict. To ensure
effectiveness, hotlines should be provided for report of domestic violence.
Leaving an abusive relationship can be more difficult for
younger and financially abused victims due to lack of funds or sometimes,
age-related criteria for public housing. As a result, these victims may be left
unassisted, forced into homelessness or elect to remain in the relationship.
For this reason, government should work with non-governmental organizations
like the Women Right Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) and so on
to provide houses for victims in such category. Other social amenities like good
roads and medical centers should also be installed, especially in rural areas
to provide access to important support networks.
To put an end to the issue of domestic violence, all other
stakeholders have to work collectively with the government - the communities,
religious groups and institutions. Since media, schools, families and religious
groups have a strong and lasting influence on people, they have a lot to do in
the counsel and campaign against domestic violence. This could be done through
seminars and workshops, religious teachings, premarital counseling etc. If
rightly done, their inputs would go a long way in enlightening people (victims,
abusers and people who are neither abusers nor victims) on the dangers of
domestic violence and also prevent any future act of abuse.
Taking a deeper look at the incidence of domestic violence
in Nigeria, we would realize that it threatens our existence as Nigerians,
regardless of whether one is a female, male or whether one realizes it or is
directly affected by it or not. This is because Nigeria is our collective idea
and keeping it safe and better lie in our hands. We dream of a Nigeria where
the rights of every citizen is protected; where people enter relationships
without the fear of being abused. To achieve this is, definitely, not going to
be easy. As a result, we need to work tirelessly to put domestic violence in
check.
References
1. What is
domestic violence,
http://family.findlaw.com/domestic-violence/what-is-domestic-violence.html
2. World Health Organization:
Global and regional estimates of violence against women: prevalence and health
effects of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence. 2013,
World Health Organisation,
http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/violence/9789241564625/en/
(accessed 5/10/2013) Google Scholar
3. Reviewing the
North's penal code. Daily Trust. 2012
UNICEF (2001)
Children and Women’s rights in Nigeria: A wake up call assessment
and analysis. Edited
by Hodge. Abuja: National Population Commission and UNICEF.
This Day (2011,
September 20). Domestic violence: When law fails to protect.
http://www.thisdaylive.com
Lehamann, P.J. (1995).
Children who witness mother-assault: An expander posttraumatic stress disorder
conceptualization. (Unpublished M.A. Thesis.) Wilfred Laurier University.http://scholars.w/u.ca/etd/193
Agbo, C. & Choji,
R. (2014). Domestic violence against women: Any end in sight? From
Leadership/news/382501
Walby, Sylvia and
Allen, Jonathan (2004) Domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking:
Findings from the British Crime Survey (London: Home Office Research,
Development and Statistics Directorate)
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