Experts Urge Action on Violence against Women

Violence against women in Nigeria, like most African countries, is very common. In fact, figures put it at up to 50- 60 per cent of Nigerian homes and most of it go unreported, either because of our cultural background, the family set-up, or economy reasons.

However, experts who gathered at the Association of Resident Doctors at the Federal Neuropsychiatrist Hospital, Yaba, recent conference with the theme: “Violence Against Women: The Psychological Consequences’’ called for urgent action to stem the ugly trend. According to a consultant psychiatrist, Dr Grace Ijarogbe, most of the cases of violence against women go unreported “because the perpetrators are at a higher advantage than the victim.” “… when violence is committed against a woman, she has a feeling that she is worthless, she has a low self-esteem, she withdraws from friends because she has a feeling that people will know what is going on and if she continues being abused, she becomes depressed, anxious and then, she starts making mistakes.”

Making a case for proper implementation of the law against domestic violence, the president of the association, Dr Olusegun Akinwotu said, “We used to think there is no law against rape but this law is inherent in our country but we need them to be upheld and implemented. And the law enforcers should carry out whatever penalty the person who is the perpetrator of this violence deserves. Once this is done, it will go a long way because there have been cases of husbands beating their wives and the wives dying from the battery but all we hear is that sometimes, it doesn’t even get to the court. They just keep it aside and we believe this is unacceptable.”

Decrying the increasing rate of domestic violence in the country, Akinwotu said “The prevalence of mental illness among women will be reduced by 50 per cent if domestic violence is reduced and that is significant because you can always trace most of these mental illnesses to something happening in the past.” The psychological effects of domestic violence according to him range from post-traumatic disorder, anxiety disorder, development of emotional mood disorder like depression and they can develop psychosis.

Way forward

“Before a girl-child becomes a woman, let her be groomed in such a way that she feels equal with the brothers in the home. Some women have no reason to stay in an abusive relationship but because they feel they have to be subdued,” said Ijarogbe. “Aside from the grooming, let them grow up knowing that they are equal to a man and that they have equal privileges with the man, so that when she gets to a relationship into the future, that trace of abuse will not be there,” she adds.

The Deputy Governor, represented by Dr Olufemi Olugbile, a former Permanent Secretary in the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Femi Olugbile said: “According to the National Coalition against Domestic Violence, about 1.3 million women were assaulted by an intimate partner every year.

“Also, 25 per cent of women will experience violence in their lifetime and for how long will such cases continue. Should we not put in place more stringent and serious mechanisms to curb and discourage violence in the homes, particularly against women?’’ She said several studies had shown that there was a correlation between development and the treatment of women in a society.

“It is, therefore, imperative that in addition to the plans being made to meet the Millennium Development Goals, our leaders must reform the laws to protect women who are violated. “It is common knowledge that the state and its various institutions are, especially crucial in ensuring that its citizens are protected and have access to the basic necessities of life,’’ she said.

Orelope-Adefulire said that adequate knowledge and information through sensitisation and campaigns would help to reduce cases of domestic violence among women.