Abstract
Domestic violence involves violence by one person against another in an intimate relationship thus the term. It includes such acts as those which are occasioned by someone in close relationship. The statistical trend of domestic violence in Nigeria is daunting and sky-rocketing, marital homes have turned to boxing rings and family unions become Trojan battles, the situation does not appear to lessen anytime soon, rather it is on the increase. One begins to wonder as to what the role of the Nigerian legislature to rescue the situation - are there no laws to curb domestic violence in Nigeria; or is it that the long hand of the law is not catching up with the perpetrators; or are the punishments prescribed in the laws not stiff enough to keep perpetrators with such intentions at bay? In resolving these agitations, this study examines the concept, forms and causes of domestic violence in Nigeria. The study further analyses a few reported incidences of domestic violence in Nigeria. The Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015 was further appraised with special focus on identifying the types of violence covered by the Act, the issue of jurisdiction and human rights protection under the Act and some of the progressive features of the Act in curbing domestic violence in Nigeria.
The objectives of the study are to x-ray the concept and nature of domestic violence and analyze a few relevant international instruments against same vis-à-vis enforcement challenges in Nigeria. The specific aim of this study is to examine the laws for curbing domestic violence in Nigeria and the enforcement challenges in Nigeria.
This study finds that domestic violence in Nigeria is daunting and sky-rocketing; marital homes are becoming boxing rings and family unions become Trojan battles, the situation appears to be on the increase; there are massive challenges enforcing the relevant laws; and that the statutory bodies and mechanisms put in place for the enforcement are grossly ineffective. The study thus recommends, inter alia, that the relevant statutes must really be seen to be protecting the vulnerable groups from domestic violence. In this regard, laws that seem to tacitly give the green light, for example, section 55(1)(d) of the Nigeria’s Penal Code should have no place in our laws as far as domestic violence is concerned.
