Gender-based Violence Against Women: Matters Arising From a Socio-cultural Milieu

Abstract

The role of socio-cultural risk factors in Africa on gender-based violence against women, calls for critical review. While Gender-based violence affects both men and women, studies indicate women represent a disproportionate number of the victims, and men the perpetrators. Despite being a major source of physical and emotional injuries among women, Gender-based violence remains an invisible social problem in Africa. This problem is sometimes ignored, denied, taken lightly and covered up under the guise of family matter and cultural practices. Although much study has been done on physical violence against women worldwide, however, not much has been done on matters arising from the African socio-cultural milieu on emotional abuse hence the need for this study. The study utilized survey design and examined 377 participants attending Seventh-day Adventist churches in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Result show that 36.5% of the samples in this population have experienced at least one form of emotional violence with an intimate partner. The study recommends critical appraisal of African cultural practices that influence the perpetration of emotional violence in intimate partner relationships and jettisoning harmful traditional practices by replacing them with ones that tend towards egalitarian principles. This would enhance family cohesiveness and understanding in intimate partner relationships.

Keywords: Emotional Violence, Gender. Women, Socio-cultural factors, Church, Prevention.

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/9-14-07

Publication date:July 31^st 2019