International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue VIII, August 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Gender Based Violence and Violence against Women in Nigeria: A Sociological Analysis

Isma’il Husain Mshelia
Department of Sociology, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract: In this paper, the phenomenon of Gender Based Violence in Nigeria is examined in the light of Social Learning and Feminist theoretical perspectives. Using secondary data, different forms of violence were identified in the study and they include beating, rape, humiliation, verbal abuse, widowhood practices, early marriage, sexual harassment and female genital mutilation. Consequences of the acts as identified in the study include depression, suicide, murder, sexually transmitted diseases, and physical injuries. It is therefore recommended that government, individuals, civil society and non-governmental organizations should act accordingly towards eliminating the menace.

Keywords: Gender Based Violence, Violence against Women, Domestic Violence, Intimate Partner Violence.

I.INTRODUCTION

According to Word Health Organization (WHO) report (2013 p.32), 35% of women in the world have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence. While Gender Based Violence affects women of all socio-economic backgrounds and educational levels, the women more likely than others to experience violence as identified by United Nations (UN) in the 1995 World Conference on Women in Beijing are women belonging to specific social categories. The social categories of women include the following, minority groups, refugee women, women migrants, women migrant workers, women in poverty living in rural or remote communities, destitute women, women in institutions or detention, female children, women with disabilities, elderly women, displaced women and repatriated women. While these categories are present across the globe, the regions of the world with the highest reported rates of sexual and physical violence towards women are the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa (WHO, 2013).As the comity of nations set and work towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by the year 2030, Gender Based Violence (GBV) continues to be a stumbling block to the achievement of equality (SDG goals 5 and 10), peace and justice (SDG goal 16). Feminist theorists attribute GBV to the structural inequality between men and women in the family as well as in the society. This is because, although men are more likely than women to be victims of violent crimes, women are far more likely to be victimized on the basis of their gender (Bachman, 1994, p. 15). Over the years, women have experienced significantly more GBV than men in virtually all societies of the world. As a result, Violence Against Women (VAW) emerged as a technical term used to refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women. The European Union (EU) identified four types of violence against women namely: Physical violence, Sexual violence, Economic violence and Psychological violence.