Domestic Violence: A growing epidemic

BY ADENIKE AYODELE

Beatrice was woken up by a loud sound on Sunday afternoon. Before she could raise up her head, she heard much more. Someone was knocking hard on her apartment’s main entrance door.

She went toward the door to ask who was knocking.

It was her neighbour, Lade, who got married three years ago.

“Help me, Aunty Bea- trice. Please open the door, I have stabbed Desmond,” Lade whispered.

Beatrice could feel the tension in Lade’s voice as she opened the door. Lade’s body had blood stains, and out of curiosity, Beatrice rushed to Lade’s kitchen and met her husband in a pool of blood.

“Desmond and I had an argument; he slapped me twice and I slapped back. “He flogged me with his belt many times and gave me fist blows. I couldn’t bear them, and I ran to the kitchen, picked a knife and stabbed him on the stomach. I don’t know what got over me,” Lade said, sobbing.

Desmond eventually landed in an intensive care unit of a hospital but was saved.

Desmond’s case is one of the many dreaded cases of domestic violence, and many victims are not as lucky as Desmond to be alive to tell the story.

Analysts are worried that domestic violence is on the increase and has ruined thousands of marriages and turning products of such marriages (children) to street urchins.

A relationship counsellor, Mr Obi Achugo, observes that domestic violence is now a monster in Nigeria, urging that it must be eliminated fast.

According to the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), it received 6, 456, cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) on adult and children from September 2023 to July 2024, with 73 per cent of the cases being that of domestic violence on adult.

An expert in mental health management, Mrs Abosede Ewumi, describes domestic violence as an epidemic which affects individuals regardless of age, economic status, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion or nationality as well as location.

Ewumi, a Professor of Counseling, Mental Health and Psychology at Tai Solarin University of Education, Ogun, warns that domestic violence is often accompanied by emotionally-abusive and controlling behaviour.

According to her, a survey in 2019 by the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that 30 per cent of Nigerian women, aged between 15 years and 49 years, has experienced physical violence, while 68 per cent have encountered emotional, economic or sexual abuse.

“Despite efforts by government and non-governmental organisations with so many programmes to ameliorate this epidemic called domestic violence, it is very unfortunate that it is still on the rise.

“Domestic violence, also referred to as domestic abuse or intimate partner violence, can be defined as a pattern of behaviour in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner.

“It is a wilful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault and other abusive behaviour as part of systematic power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against the other.

“It includes any behaviour that frightens, intimidates, terrorises, manipulates, hurts, humiliate, blames or injures someone,” the don explains.

She adds that domestic violence can be physical, sexual, physiological, emotional or economic.

According to her, these five forms of domestic violence can happen to anyone, either in an intimate partner relationship or in the general society.

The expert is worried that domestic violence is often perpetrated by a complex interplay of factors, including traditional beliefs, psychological disorders, family traits and socio-eco- nomic conditions.

She is convinced that Nigeria’s traditional beliefs and cultural norms often perpetrates gender-based violence, as women are frequently expected to assume subservient roles, making them vulnerable to abuse.

Ewumi urges a shift in cultural attitudes that promote gender inequality and harmful traditional practices.

The don identifies psychological disorders, such as depression and anxiety, as contributors to aggressive behaviour.

She regrets that many Nigerians lack access to mental health services, adding that this exacerbates the problem.

“Increasing awareness and access to mental health resources, counselling and therapy are crucial in ad- dressing this issue.

“Family traits and learned behaviour can also cause domestic violence, as children who witness abuse are more likely to become perpetrators or victims.

“Breaking this cycle requires intentional parenting, education and community engagement.