Risk Management and Healthcare Policy (Dec 2021)
Community Attitudes Towards Violence Against Women, and Lived Experiences of Family Violence and Abuse During Childhood in Rural Eastern Nigeria: Implications for Policy and Programming
Abstract
Ijeoma Nkem Okedo-Alex,1,2 Ifeyinwa Chizoba Akamike,1,2 Chigozie Jesse Uneke,1 Dejene Derseh Abateneh3 1African Institute for Health Policy and Health Systems, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria; 2Department of Community Medicine, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria; 3Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Menelik II College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Kotebe Metropolitan University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Dejene Derseh AbatenehKotebe Metropolitan University, Menelik II College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, P.O. Box: 3268, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaTel +251 920514158Email [email protected] Nkem Okedo-AlexAfrican Institute for Health Policy and Health Systems, Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Abakaliki, NigeriaEmail [email protected]: Violence against women (VAW) has remained an increasingly significant public health problem globally. This study explored childhood experiences of abuse and attitude towards violence against women among adults in a rural community in South-east Nigeria.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a rural community in Ebonyi, Nigeria. Data were collected from 280 respondents using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 25.Results: The mean age of the male participants was 46.5± 16.8, while that for the female participants was 43.3± 16.9. Most were females (203/280, 72.5%), out of which (83/203, 40.9%) had secondary school as the highest level of education attained. Most participants were females (203/280, 72.5%), married (225/280, 80.4%) with secondary school education (124/280, 44.3%). More than one-tenth (33/280, 11.8%) had ever witnessed parental violence, while 46.4% had been physically abused in childhood. Forced touching and penetrative sex was experienced sometimes by 11.4% (32/280) and 21.8% (61/289), respectively. Overall, the majority (258/280, 92.8%) had a disapproving attitude towards gender-based violence. Most participants disagreed that hitting or insulting woman was not wrong (246/280, 87.9%). The majority of the respondents agreed that women were inferior to men from a cultural perspective (175/280, 62.5%). Almost half strongly agreed (125/2280, 44.6%) and agreed (118/280, 42.1%) that a woman is a man’s possession. The predictors of attitude were secondary school education (AOR = 7.74, 95% CI = 1.69– 35.54) and monogamous marital setting (AOR = 2.83, 95% CI = 1.08– 7.42).Conclusion: This study showed that Nigerian adults had high levels of childhood exposures to family violence, physical and sexual abuse. Overall, the majority disapproved of VAW; however, there were gaps that endorsed patriarchal ideologies. Interventions to address VAW should include components targeted at children exposed to violence and de-bunking patriarchal ideologies that encourage VAW.Keywords: domestic violence, gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, family violence, childhood, rural Nigeria
