By Suleiman Tajudeen
CITIZENS COMPASS — Domestic violence could be described as violence committed by someone in the victim’s domestic circle. Another word for it is Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) which can come inform of domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, and family violence to mention but a few.
It is a pattern of abusive behaviours by one partner against another in an intimate relationship such as marriage, family, dating or cohabitation.
Some manifestations of domestic violence (DV) include: physical aggression or assault (i.e shoving, hitting, slapping, kicking, biting, restraining, throwing objects), threats, criminal coercion, emotional/psychological abuse; intimidation, stalking, controlling or domineering; endangerment, unlawful imprisonment and kidnapping.
Others are trespassing, denial of access of the victim to family or friends, harassment, humiliation, as well as passive abuse otherwise known as neglect or economic deprivation.
Global view of domestic violence against women
All over the world irrespective of culture and religion, many women have become victims of all forms of violence. Reports have it that globally, one out of three women is beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. Most often, the abuser is a member of her own family (WHO 2004, 2020). According to a UNFPA (2002) report, over 60% of women have been abused. In 48 population based surveys around the world, 10 to 69% of the women reported assault by an intimate partner (Krug et al., 2002; Yusuf et al., 2011). Tjaden (2000) report that in the United States of America, each year, women experience about 4.8 million intimate partner-related physical assaults and rape.
A 2018 analysis of prevalence data from 2000-2018 across 161 countries and areas conducted by WHO on behalf of the UN interagency working group on violence against women, found that world nearly 1 in 3 or 30% of women have been subjected to physical and/ or sexual violence by an intimate partner or non-partner sexual violence or both (WHO 2024).
Domestic violence against women in Nigeria
Traditionally, in Nigeria, as in many other African countries, the beating of wives and children is widely sanctioned as a form of discipline (UNICEF, 2001; Aihie, 2009, WHO 2022, 2024). Therefore, while beating their children, parents believe they are instilling discipline in them, the same way as in husbands beating their wives, who are regarded like children to be prone to indiscipline which must be curbed. This occurs when the woman is economically dependent on the man. Amnesty International (2005) report on Nigeria indicates that on a daily basis, women are beaten and ill-treated for supposed transgressions, raped and even murdered by members of their family.
Cases of domestic violence against women have been on the increase in Nigeria.
There have been…
To be continued next week.
Dr Suleiman Tajudeen is Head, Clinical Psychology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-araba, Lagos State.
