Domestic Violence and Death: Women as Endangered Gender in Nigeria

Abstract

Domestic violence against women is a global issue that transcends national, cultural, racial and class boundaries. It is a menace that is deeply entrenched in the society and has led to the sudden death of many women across the globe. Statistics show that at least every year in the United States, 1,000 to 1,600 women die at the hands of their male partners, often after a long, escalating pattern of battering. This estimated number of deaths due to intimate partner violence does not include those women who kill themselves to exit violent relationships, or who die homeless on the streets in their attempt to avoid violent husbands. In Nigeria also, many women have died, brutalised or maimed for life by their violent male counterparts. This paper studies the causative factors of violent assaults suffered by women in the homes. In-depth interview and Newspaper reports were used in obtaining data during the study. The study reveals that the Patriachal nature of society which tends to give ownership of the women to the men is largely responsible for the brutalization of women and also proffers strategies for the eradication the social malaise in Nigeria. The study made use of Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory in its analysis.