Domestic violence in Nigeria is on the rise, increasing the country’s climate of dread and killings.
The Niger State Police Command recently detained a woman for allegedly killing her husband at night while he was sleeping.
The suspect, 27-year-old Fatima Dzuma, was reported to have killed her husband after a scuffle before they went to bed the night before.
The Police Command, through its spokesman, Superintendent of Police Wasiu Abiodun, verified the occurrence and stated that the suspect used a pestle to shatter her husband’s head, resulting in his death.
In addition, a middle-aged man named Nwana allegedly set fire to his wife, Chioma Nwana, after a heated argument over suspected adultery in Eziezekwe village, Abagana, in Anambra state’s Njikoka LGA.
The terrible confrontation intensified when the suspect accused his wife of having an affair. Chioma, who had suffered severe burns, was taken to a neighboring hospital but died the next morning.
Following the incident, the suspect reportedly presented himself at the Abagana Divisional Police Station and confessed to the crime.
In a similar occurrence, Sunday Echeji, an Enugu man, was lodged in a correctional facility after being accused of cutting off his wife’s hand during domestic violence.
Echeji was charged before Chief Magistrate Court 1 in Enugu, Enugu State, according to a statement released by the state’s First Lady’s office.
The incident, which took place in Ugwuogede village, Ibagwa-Agu, Nsukka Local Government Area, aroused significant indignation throughout the state and beyond.
Unfortunately, all of the aforementioned events were only a few that drew public attention, as studies have shown that domestic violence in Nigeria goes unreported.
Domestic violence, a major public health concern, persists in low- and middle-income nations.
While developed nations have successfully implemented preventive measures that have led to a reduction of such occurrences, developing countries, such as Nigeria, face enduring challenges as a result of inadequate legal instruments and, in most cases, trade-cultural barriers, as well as the political will to put into effective use existing laws, as weak as they are, that frown on such practices.
Domestic violence is a complex issue that affects people of both genders and has a negative influence on both physical and mental health.
A research conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) across 161 nations discovered that lower- and middle-income countries had greater rates.
Developing countries in Sub-Saharan
Africa, Northern Africa, regions of Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Oceania had an average prevalence rate of 37%. In contrast, developed regions like Europe, North America, Australia/New Zealand, and Japan had an average prevalence rate of 16%.
These figures demonstrate the discrepancy in domestic
Violence incidents occur all throughout the world.
We are concerned that domestic violence in Nigeria is on the rise and shows no signs of abating, regardless of age, tribe, religion, or social class. Studies estimate a countrywide prevalence rate of 31% and 61%.
Regional rates vary: in Southern Nigeria, the prevalence is 37.9 percent (78.8 percent in the South-East, 41 percent in the South-South, and 29 percent in the South-West), whereas in Northern Nigeria, the rate is 42 percent.
This demonstrates the prevalence of domestic violence across all regions of Nigeria, crossing religious and cultural divides.
Unequal wealth distribution, low education levels, societal standards, and insufficient preventative methods are all factors that contribute to its prevalence.
As a newspaper, the significant burden of domestic abuse highlights the need for broad and focused.
Preventive techniques to address the underlying causes and limit their consequences.
Fear of victim blaming, acceptability of violence, and a lack of police action are all factors that contribute to underreporting.
Some people consider it an abomination to involve police in family matters.
In Nigeria, common kinds of violence against women include rape, acid attacks, molestation, wife beating, and corporal punishment.
But we’re perplexed as to why couples would seek to settle their differences through death, as if purposeful killing were a simple issue and not a criminal offense.
Unfortunately, one can only image the devastation these individuals cause for their families, as they face the full fury of the law in addition to the loss of their spouses, placing their children in jeopardy.
Though Nigeria has enacted a number of laws at the federal and state levels to combat domestic violence, including the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1984, which was translated into the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act in 2015, implementation still falls short, particularly in the country’s north.
Tolerance, patience, an anti-domestic violence sensitization forum, avoiding third-party involvement, and the establishment of a guidance and counseling unit in the ministry of women affairs across the Federation’s states are, in our opinion, effective tactics for combating domestic abuse.
We also urge that the three levels of government launch an awareness campaign for couples to help eliminate domestic violence.
Religious leaders should step their efforts to combat domestic violence in society as large.
Nigerians must learn to manage their anger and irritation in a holistic manner in order to maintain healthy social interactions.
