THE ROLE OF MEDIA IN THE ISSUE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA

For a while, terrible reports of domestic abuse in every nook and cranny of Nigeria have surfaced. It might involve a husband killing his wife or the other way around. In many instances, it may be the result of a father abusing his daughter sexually in order to get understanding of her. 

Nigerian women have experienced barter rape and even murder at the hands of members of their own family, especially the nuclear family, for alleged transgressions ranging from failing to prepare meals on time to visiting relatives without their husband's consent. Many families, especially those headed by women, endure chemical and acid attacks by their husbands or partner that cause excruciating pain or disfigurement and occasionally result in death of the victims (Simon, 2016).

Famous Nigerian gospel musician Osinachi Nwachukwu’s passing on which shocked many, sparked controversies with new claims made about her marriage. The singer, died in an Abuja hospital. She was a lead singer at the Dunamis International Gospel Centre. However, close friends and associates have suggested that her violent union with her husband, Peter Nwachukwu, who doubled as her manager, led to her untimely death according to a report by Premium Times.

Ronke Shonde, a banker and mother of two, was beaten to death by her husband, Lekan Shonde, in Lagos. A manhunt for Mr Shonde, who fled the murder scene, was launched. Before taking his wife’s life, Mr Shonde used to “tie her, beat her and take her mobile phones away,” according to a neighbour (Usigbe 2018). Media in Nigeria is replete with stories of domestic violence involving women at home or in the streets, many of these with gory endings. On December 31, 2017, The Punch newspapers featured a story which indicated that 2017 was a year of deadly domestic violence cases. The publication included stories of tragic occurrence between husbands and wives involving brutal murder. From the publication, it was said that between January and September 2017 a total of 852 domestic violence cases was recorded in Lagos State alone.

Although evidence from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) suggests that both men and women are victims of domestic violence, it is overwhelmingly perpetrated by men against women (The Guardian editorial, February 10, 2017). The report also identifies that women and girls are more subject to physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and all form of coercion. Perpetrators cut across the line of income, class, race, culture and status. While domestic violence is a global problem, it has literarily taken residence in Africa with endless stories of pains and sorrow following it.

In Nigeria particularly, the epidemic has assumed a disturbing dimension that even current penalties have not been able to serve as a deterrent. Violence against women as it is sometimes referred to be a manifestation of the unequal power relationship between men and women which has led to domination and discrimination against women by men (Bakare, Asuquo&Agomo, 2010).The United Nations defined violence against women as any act of gender-based violence that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including the threat of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty whether occurring in public or in private life (World Health Organization, 1996 as cited in Bakare et al, 2010).

Determining the extent of domestic violence in Nigeria is a difficult task and this is because the official statistics on violence in the home are not properly documented in the country. In addition, incidents of domestic violence tend to go unreported (ibid 2005; Eze-Anaba 2006). Reasons cited for women not reporting violence in the home include: respect for tradition; lack of knowledge of rights (VOA 2007); pressure from family members to not disrupt the family peace, fear of reprisals from the abuser; the belief that their complaint will not be taken seriously by the police; and fear of financial insecurity (AI 2005).

While it may be simpler to quantify and identify physical and sexual abuse across cultures, it may be more challenging to characterize emotional and verbal abuse, which some women may find to be more traumatic than physical or sexual abuse. Children who are raised in violent homes may experience a variety of behavioral and emotional problems. Later on, these may be linked to engaging in or suffering violence. Infant and toddler mortality and morbidity rates have been linked to greater levels of domestic violence.

Here comes the responsibility of the media. The media is acknowledged on a global scale as a socialization agent that shapes people's moral convictions and worldviews. It has been discovered that the broadcast and newspaper serve to both reflect and influence public opinion. It has been proven that newspaper articles significantly affect how the general public views domestic violence against women. Compared to broadcast media, it is a more enduring type of communication. Readers of newspapers do not always take the information presented without question, thus how editors and journalists present news items about domestic violence against women greatly affects the message that is conveyed to readers.

Media plays a useful role in propagation of information about domestic violence. It can be used to create awareness, convey education and act as deterrence to various abuses. Mass media has saturated the industrialized world. The television in the living room, the newspaper on the doorstep, the radio in the car, the computer at work and the fliers in the mailbox are just a few of the media channels daily delivering news, opinion, music and other forms of mass communication. These days, abuse messages are preoccupied with grabbling attention and sustaining interest, rather than transferring persuasion messages. This has largely been due to a perception to build women’s self-confidence, discourage men from gender-based violence, and to make society take notice and speak up instead of look away.

Media are not only a source of entertainment, but also a source of information about the outside world and exposure to other ways of life. Previous research has found that such awareness can influence a wide range of attitudes and behaviors. Olenick (2018) finds that in Nigeria, women who regularly watched television and who had been exposed to explicit family planning messages on radio or television were more likely than other women to approve of family planning.

Also, Jensen and Oster (2009) study the impact of cable television on women’s status in the Nigerian state of Tamil Nadu. They find that the introduction of cable television, with television programs that presented urban attitudes and values, is associated with a 16% decrease in the reported acceptability of domestic violence and an 8.8% decrease in son preference, as well as increases in women’s autonomy and participation in household decision-making. Their results also provide suggestive evidence that exposure to cable television increases school enrollment for younger children, perhaps because of greater autonomy for women.