A. O. UZUEGBUNAM
form of aggressive behaviours by which the victims are physi-
cally or emotionally disturbed or harmed. Thus, any threat/or
indecent assault, personal or economic intimidation, undue
curtailment of freedom, any expression that reduces a person’s
dignity, any physical assaults, blows, beating, strangulations
that are complete or incomplete, jabs with sharp or blunt ob-
jects, slaps, kicks, sexual abuse of any kind, inordinate sexual
demand and or refusal, etc., constitute manifestations of vio-
lence within the home, household or family, clan etc., (Uzueg-
bunam, 2009).
Violence against women can be defined in various ways. For
instance, violence against women is perceived as gendered
violence directed at women for the very fact of being women,
(Spain office, OVW, 2004). However, UN, (1993) described
violence against women as any act of gender-based violence,
that results in, or is likely to result in physical, sexual or
psychological harm, or suffering to women, including
threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of
liberty, occurring in public or private life.
Hence any violence directed to the female gender either by
male gender or by the females themselves is regarded as vio-
lence against women. However, the more horrifying aspect of
violence is that perpetrated by women themselves on women.
Here lies the thrust of this paper as a point of departure from
many available documentation of domestic violence in the so-
ciety.
The concept of “women” is derived from our perception of
the sex in animals or plants that produce or are capable of pro-
ducing eggs and bearing young ones. It also relates to any re-
productive structure that contains elements to be fertilized by
male elements. Hence the word women incorporates adult fe-
males, girls and babies since they all have attributes of feminine
gender, (Arinze, 2008). In Nigeria, the concept and role of
women are biologically, culturally, historically, institutionally
and situationally defined. Biologically, women in Nigeria are
understood as the concept explained above i.e. feminine gender.
Culturally, women are perceived as profane creatures that de-
serve no respect and as such should be treated as sub-ordinates
to men. They should not be heard in any discussions or deci-
sion-making. Their place is always in the kitchen. They cannot
think for themselves and their thoughts are considered worth-
less. They should not eat certain foods or meat. They should not
have access to any inheritance including land. The married ones
are regarded as men’s property that could be beaten up or
thrown away at the least point of provocation. Any wrong do-
ing in society is attributed to the women especially bad behav-
iours of children in society. Historically, women were under-
stood as inconsequential creatures who could not contribute
meaningfully to societal development. But today some women
in top national, state and local government positions have
proved that women possess the potentials for societal develop-
ment. So, women are today understood as useful partners in
societal development. Institutionally, women in Nigeria are
seen as an institution in themselves. They are regarded as the
second class citizens of the society doing things in groups and
in their own way. They should not be regarded as having the
same nature with male folk and as such are not equal in the
eyes of the society. Situationally, women are perceived as cata-
lysts in certain situations and as agents of doom in other situa-
tions. For instance, in conflict resolutions and management the
women are seen to be the force that could calm down the situa-
tion after all efforts of the males have failed. But at the time of
benefits and dividends sharing, women are conceived to be
sub-ordinate and inconsequential group in society. Against
these various perceptions of the concept of women in Nigeria
society, the various treatment of women in society were derived.
Hence, the idea of discrimination, degradation, disrespect, dep-
rivation of rights and priviledges etc. emerged.
The idea of gender is simply derived from the state of mas-
culine and feminine. It is a division into male and female
groups in society. It has to deal with sex structure in human
being making them behave the way they do. Thus it refers to
men and women in society which in turn affect their percep-
tions of domestic violence and women in Nigerian society.
Philosophically, women in domestic violence in Nigeria
should be understood from the African world View or philoso-
phy. This world view is based on the theistic charter that explains
the interaction or relationship of human beings in the society
including marriages from the system of values existing in that
society, (Dukor, 2010). Thus, for Africans, every sex group,
Dukor continued, is organized on the existence of certain divi-
sion of labour, and distribution patterns of privileges and duties.
These subsequently require skills, habits and legal standards for
satisfying needs, Hence, in pre-colonial Africa, Nigeria inclu-
sive, the epistemological foundation specified that there was no
intention for inequality, injustice and lack of freedom.
Thus, this charter, Dukor appropriately referred to as Africa
theistic existentialism and it should be respected so as to accord
the mother earth her due deference.
However, people including women, accepted this basic on-
tological thesis, until some exploitation and manipulations of
existing norms and values of epistemological foundation of
Africa gender set in. As a result of modern education, com-
plexities of life and obvious impacts of development and glob-
alization, the world, including women perceive some of the
positions of women as violence against them.
Again, Dukor, (2010: p. 65) diagrammatically explained the
different faces of gender consciousness. He traced the gender
class struggle from gender classless ontological regime, which
moved into gender community of balanced psychic and mate-
rial order and arrived at the struggle. What is being explained
here philosophically is that there are three broad stages of gen-
der stress ontology. The first stage “A” shows no gender dif-
ferentiation which he called gender classless being People in-
nocently understood themselves as one specie of humanly.
Then, for purposes of interaction and mutual healthy procrea-
tion, the next stage “B” referred to as Gender community set in.
Finally, through the colonial experiences, the regime of acute
differentiation of male and female with modern ontology dis-
regarded the African ontology which resulted in gender class
struggle (See Figure 1), it is the present situation that prompted
feminist studies.
Consequently, Dukor, proposed that what the African phi-
losophy is prescribing to any gender discourse is to base the
work on classless social order that is free from gender class
struggle. The studies should be based on vital opportunities that
facilitate the realization of women’s aspiration and goals in life.
Dukor’s views point on this paper on Women in Domestic
Violence is an exposition that women’s violence problem
should be tackled from women’s self-solution since most of the
sufferings are women self-affliction or implementation of so-
cietal prescriptions.
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