Experience of domestic violence and acceptance of intimate partner violence among out-of-school adolescent girls in Iwaya Community, Lagos State

Abstract

Gender-based domestic violence (DV) comes at great costs to the victims and society at large. Yet, many women hold the view that intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is appropriate behavior. This study aimed at exploring the nexus of experience of different forms of DV and acceptance of IPV as appropriate behavior. Using data from a survey of 480 out-of-school adolescent girls, the researcher shows that psychological abuse is a significant predictor of approval of DV resulting from the wife's failure to make food available for her husband with victims of abuse approving of violence against women. Conversely, victims of sexual abuse, more than nonvictims, disapproved of wife beating resulting from the wife going out without informing the husband. The implications of the findings are discussed and the study recommends deconstructing women's negative beliefs upon which DV rests.

Keywords: Iwaya; ethnic origin; justification of violence; physical abuse; psychological abuse; sexual abuse; wife beating.