Women’s perceptions of domestic, intimate partner violence and the government’s interventions in Nigeria: A qualitative study
| Published date | 01 November 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/17488958221128933 |
| Author | Tarela Juliet Ike,Dung Ezekiel Jidong,Evangelyn Ebi Ayobi |
| Date | 01 November 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/17488958221128933
Criminology & Criminal Justice
2023, Vol. 23(5) 791 –811
© The Author(s) 2022
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DOI: 10.1177/17488958221128933
journals.sagepub.com/home/crj
Women’s perceptions of
domestic, intimate partner
violence and the
government’s interventions
in Nigeria: A qualitative study
Tarela Juliet Ike
Tare Wyd Legal Chambers, Nigeria
Dung Ezekiel Jidong
Nottingham Trent University, UK
Evangelyn Ebi Ayobi
Tare Wyd Legal Chambers, Nigeria
Abstract
Domestic violence, including intimate partner violence, increased exponentially following the
Covid-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, there appears to be a paucity of research that draws on a social
constructionist theoretical lens to explore women’s perspectives of the Nigerian government’s
interventions addressing such violence. The study recruited 24 purposively selected female
participants from Delta state, Nigeria. Informed by a social constructionist thematic analysis,
findings revealed that they were a perceived sense that law enforcement agencies’ gender-biased
response to domestic violence complaints and lack of awareness of legal solutions fuel domestic
violence. The study recommends a randomised control trial to test the efficacy of legal education
interventions in improving domestic violence awareness in Nigeria.
Keywords
Domestic violence, intervention, intimate partner violence, Nigeria, women
Corresponding author:
Tarela Juliet Ike, Tare Wyd Legal Chambers, 1 Kpobari, Delta State, 234, Nigeria.
Email: Tarela.ike@outlook.com
1128933CRJ0010.1177/17488958221128933Criminology & Criminal JusticeIke et al.
research-article2022
Article
792 Criminology & Criminal Justice 23(5)
Introduction
Domestic violence (DV), including intimate partner violence (IPV) against women, is a
global public health concern that violates human rights. According to the World Health
Organization (WHO, 2017) report, 1 in 3 (35%) of women worldwide have experienced
physical and sexual IPV or sexual violence from non-partners during their lifetime.
Within Nigeria, these statistics have seen an exponential increase following the advent of
the Coronavirus. For instance, the study by Fawole et al. (2021) suggests that IPV
increased significantly during the lockdown in Nigeria, up to 56%. Before the pandemic,
the Nigerian National Population Commission (NPC, 2014) report suggests that wom-
en’s exposure to IPV from their partners or husbands includes an estimated 19% for
emotional IPV, approximately 14% for physical IPV and 5% for sexual abuse IPV.
Previous studies in Nigeria have shown that the prevalence of IPV ranges from 7% to
31% for physical violence, 31% to 61% for emotional/psychological violence and 20%
to 31% for sexual violence (Oloniniyi et al., 2022). Furthermore, studies conducted
across different regions in Nigeria have reported the prevalence of IPV to range from
41% in Nigeria’s south-south (Dienye et al., 2014), 42% in the north (Tanimu et al.,
2016), 29% in the south-west (Okenwa et al., 2009) and 78.8% in the southeastern region
of the country (Okemgbom et al., 2002). Central to this increasing rate of IPV and DV in
Nigeria, there seems to be a paucity of research exploring how women socially construed
DV alongside government interventions addressing the issue.
Existing studies on women’s perspectives of DV in Delta State, Nigeria (the study’s
location), have often tended to focus on the prevalence of DV during pregnancy (Awusi
et al., 2009) and middle-income women’s perspectives of DV (Aderinto et al., 2006). For
instance, the study by Awusi et al. (2009) focuses on the prevalence of DV among 400
pregnant women attending a hospital in Oleh. While these studies made important points
concerning the prevalence of DV and IPV, they do not address how government interven-
tion is perceived. In addition, the studies are limited in their scope as DV affects women
regardless of their social status or whether or not they are pregnant. The studies are also
mainly quantitative in design and methodological approach. Therefore, delineating the
significance of adopting a qualitative research method to investigate how women per-
ceive DV in Nigeria.
The extant literature has proposed diverse frameworks and theories to understand and
explain violence against women. Lawson (2012) argues that violence perpetrated against
women by their male counterparts is an expression of male patriarchal domination of
females, rooted in power and gender inequality. Men are the primary breadwinners in
some societies, including some regions in Nigeria. At the same time, women are con-
strued as homemakers, carers of children and expected to be exclusively dependent on
men for their economic needs (Benebo et al., 2018). In the event of a change in the tra-
ditional ordering of gender and their respective roles, violence can ultimately result,
especially in patriarchal societies (Anderson and Umberson, 2001; Heise, 2011b;
Macmillan and Gartner, 1999). For instance, studies have shown that if a wife challenges
or disobeys her husband or even fails to play her gender role, the husband could resort to
violence to instil discipline. Heise (2011b) and Macmillan and Gartner (1999) argue that
such violence is done to maintain control and power.
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