Domestic Violence against Women in the Nigerian Rural Context
Loading...
Date
2021
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of International Women’s Studies
Abstract
The problem of domestic violence is not new to African societies. This study focused on
the remote causes and implications of domestic violence among rural women. The study adopted
a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. The respondents were
selected using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Findings revealed that 82.3% of
the respondents agree that the economic dependence of women on men is among the major causes
of domestic violence, while 52.3% of respondents believe that their communities encourage and
tolerate some abusive behavior. A total of 61.5% of the respondents posit that religious and
traditional beliefs aid the persistence of domestic violence. On the implications of domestic
violence, 84.6% of the respondents agree that children of domestic violent homes will model their
behavior according to their experiences. The X2 value of 13.437 is significant at 3.841 and shows
that domestic violence has a serious psychological implication on women. Lack of authorities to
report cases of violence to and fear of the consequences of such reports prevented many of these
rural women from seeking help when they were abused. This study posits that advocacy groups
should employ more practical and appropriate communication mechanisms peculiar to each rural
area. Specifically, the use of indigenous languages to form songs, playlet, and proverbs to
communicate the implications of domestic violence against women in their communities should
be encouraged. Community and women leaders should ensure that women who report cases of
domestic abuse are adequately protected from the perpetrators. In doing this, they are able to accept
the sensitization processes rather than disregard them or term them ‘western’
Description
Keywords
Abuja, Domestic violence, Rural women, Kuje, Nigerian women, African women, Implications of domestic violence, Nigeria
Citation
Igbolekwu, C. O., Arusukwu, O., Nwogu, J. N., Rasak, B., Asamu, F., & Osueke, N. O. (2021). Domestic Violence against Women in the Nigerian Rural Context. Journal of International Women's Studies, 22(1), 226-245.