Domestic Violence against Women in the Nigerian Rural Context

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’.