Abstract:

In many developed countries and some developing countries, incidences of domestic violence perpetrated by their partners have been reported by men. However, the position of authority and superiority accorded the male gender in the African culture tend to give credence to the believe by many people that domestic violence perpetrated by women on men is non-existent in this environment. Even though there is paucity of available empirical data on violence against men in Nigeria, is this to say that it does not exist? In a descriptive cross-sectional study, questionnaires were administered to 483 respondents selected through multi-stage sampling technique. Furthermore, selected Nigerian newspapers were analyzed for the reportage of violence against men and Focus Group Discussions were conducted. Quantitative data was analyzed by Statistical Product for Service Solutions (SPSS) version 20 while qualitative data was analyzed by detailed content analysis. Mean age of respondents was 29.7 + 9.2 years, 55.1% were males and 47.8% were ever-married. Higher awareness of domestic violence against women (DVAW) than against men (DVAM) was found among respondents (89.9% vs 86.1%) while 42.0% considered DVAM a new development in Nigeria. Wives (48.0%) and in-laws (17.2%) were the most commonly cited perpetrators. A quarter (25.7%) of respondents has ever been victims of DVAM, of these three-quarters sought for help. Perceived barriers to seeking for help include pride and embarrassment. Male gender and secondary education or higher were found to be the predictors of good perception of DVAM types. The study showed that DVAM is a reality in Nigeria in spite of cultural underpinning. Both the newspaper audit and the Focus Group Discussion affirmed the growing menace.

Keywords: Domestic, Violence, Men, Nigeria.

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