DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST MEN ON FAMILIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN NIGERIA: EVIDENCE FROM A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Domestic violence against men has continued to affect familial relationships in the contemporary African society. While the discourse has received little attention in the academic domain, the menace persisted across households in Nigeria as stigma, shame and culture of silence affected reportage. Existing research on domestic violence predominantly centers on women as victims and men as perpetrators, the experiences of male victims have been largely marginalized. This article therefore investigates and contributes empirically to knowledge on the patterns, promoting causes and consequences of domestic violence against men by examining the perspectives of male victims and female perpetrators in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria. Frustration-Aggression theory was used to guide the study. With the use of purposive and snowballing sampling technique, 22 in-depth interviews and 13 key-informant’s interviews were conducted. The responses of the interviews were content analyzed. The findings revealed the multifaceted nature of domestic violence, debunking the myth that it primarily affects women. Findings also deepens our understanding of the dynamics and impact of domestic violence on men, emphasizing the importance of addressing their physical and psychological well-being. Urgent action is needed to support male victims to report their victimizations, while service providers such as police officers, healthcare professionals, and social workers should be trained on how to identify and respond to cases of domestic violence against men.   Keywords: Domestic Violence, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), Male Victims, Female perpetrators, Ibadan Metropolis