Domestic Violence in Nigeria: The Growing Crisis Behind Closed Doors

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Domestic violence remains a serious human rights and public health concern in Nigeria, with women and children bearing a significant share of its impact. While physical assault is often the most visible form of abuse, violence within homes can also take the form of sexual coercion, emotional and psychological abuse, financial control, intimidation and other controlling behaviours.

October, observed globally as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, provides an opportunity to examine the reality of violence within Nigerian homes and the barriers that prevent many survivors from speaking out or seeking help.

Recent data indicate the scale of the problem. The 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), released by the National Population Commission and its partners, found that 23 per cent of women aged 15–49 who had ever been married or had an intimate partner had experienced physical, sexual or emotional violence from their current or most recent partner. The same proportion reported experiencing intimate-partner violence in the 12 months preceding the survey.

The National Human Rights Commission also recorded 84,187 complaints of domestic violence in 2024, alongside 45,986 complaints of sexual violence and 6,943 rape complaints.

However, official figures do not capture the full extent of the problem. The NDHS found that 58 per cent of women who had experienced physical or sexual violence neither sought help nor told anyone about it. Fear, stigma, financial dependence, family pressure and a lack of confidence in institutions can all discourage survivors from reporting abuse.

Understanding domestic violence

 Domestic violence refers to abusive behaviour within an intimate relationship, household or family. It can be perpetrated by a spouse, intimate partner, former partner or another family member.

The World Health Organisation defines intimate-partner violence as behaviour by a current or former partner that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm. It includes physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviour.

Nigeria’s Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 also provides a legal framework for addressing violence in both private and public life.

Domestic violence, therefore, is not limited to physical assault. A person can be abused without suffering a visible injury.

The many faces of abuse

Physical violence includes beating, kicking, punching, choking, burning or using an object or weapon to cause injury. According to the 2024 NDHS, 19 per cent of women aged 15–49 had experienced physical violence since age 15, while nine per cent had experienced it within the previous year.

Sexual violence includes forced sexual activity, sexual assault and other forms of sexual coercion. Five per cent of women surveyed reported having experienced sexual violence at some point, while three per cent experienced it within the preceding 12 months.

Emotional and psychological abuse can be less visible but equally damaging. Insults, humiliation, threats, intimidation, isolation from friends and relatives, constant belittling and other forms of psychological control can gradually undermine a survivor’s confidence and sense of security. The NDHS found emotional violence to be the most common form of intimate-partner violence, affecting 19 per cent of women in the relevant survey population.

Economic abuse is another means of control. It can involve taking a partner’s income, denying access to money, preventing employment, controlling bank accounts or deliberately creating financial dependence.

There is also coercive control, in which an abusive partner monitors a woman’s movements, phone or relationships, repeatedly accuses her of infidelity or restricts her contact with family and friends.

Technology has added another dimension. Digital abuse can include monitoring phones, tracking locations, accessing private accounts, online harassment and threatening to release intimate material.

The scale of the crisis

The 2024 NDHS offers one of the clearest national pictures of intimate-partner violence because it is based on a population survey rather than reports made to authorities. The survey found that 23 per cent of women aged 15–49 who had ever had a partner had experienced physical, sexual or emotional violence from their current or most recent partner. Among divorced, separated or widowed women, the figure was 41 per cent. The reporting gap is equally concerning. More than half of women who experienced physical or sexual violence did not seek help or tell anyone.

Lagos also illustrates the demand for intervention. The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency reported receiving 8,692 cases between August 2024 and July 2025 through its physical centres and Virtual Referral and Response Service. The cases involved survivors ranging from 18 months to 79 years. The figures show the continuing demand for support, although Lagos’ wider figures include gender-based violence and should not be treated as domestic violence statistics alone.

Why many women stay

One of the most persistent questions asked about survivors of domestic violence is why they do not simply leave.

For many women, leaving is not a straightforward decision. A woman who depends financially on her partner may fear being unable to provide for herself or her childre, others may fear retaliation, homelessness or losing access to their children.

Family and community pressure can also discourage separation. In some cases, survivors are urged to endure abuse to preserve a marriage or protect the family’s reputation. Religious and cultural expectations may further complicate the decision.

There is also the fear of not being believed or adequately protected after reporting. For some survivors, the uncertainty of what happens after leaving can appear more frightening than remaining in a familiar but abusive environment.

These realities help explain why the majority of women who experience violence do not report it.

The impact on women

The consequences of domestic violence can extend far beyond the immediate incident.

Physical abuse can result in injuries, chronic pain, disability, pregnancy complications and other reproductive health problems. The WHO also links intimate-partner violence to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep difficulties and other mental health problems.

The economic consequences can be equally damaging. Injuries may keep survivors away from work, while controlling partners may prevent them from earning an income or accessing financial resources. This can deepen dependence and make it even more difficult to leave an abusive relationship.

Children are also victims

Domestic violence does not affect only the person being assaulted.

Children who grow up in homes where violence occurs can experience fear, anxiety, trauma, sleep difficulties, poor concentration and problems at school. Even when a child is not physically assaulted, witnessing violence between parents or caregivers can have serious psychological consequences.

UNICEF reports that six in 10 Nigerian children experience physical, sexual or emotional violence before the age of 18, with more than 70 per cent of those who experience violence suffering it repeatedly.

Exposure to violence during childhood can also influence how children understand relationships and conflict. While not every child exposed to violence becomes violent themselves, repeated exposure can increase the risk of later victimisation or perpetration.

This makes domestic violence more than a private family matter. It can become a child-protection issue with consequences that extend into the next generation.

What keeps the problem going?

Domestic violence is sustained by several interconnected factors, including harmful gender norms, economic inequality, victim-blaming and the normalisation of controlling behaviour.

In some communities, violence within marriage is still treated as a matter that should be resolved privately. Survivors may be pressured by relatives to reconcile with abusive partners rather than seek protection or justice.

Limited access to shelters, legal assistance, counselling and other support services can further leave survivors without practical alternatives.

Weak reporting systems and inconsistent enforcement also make it difficult to establish the full scale of the problem and hold perpetrators accountable.

The role of public voices

Nigerian celebrities have also contributed to conversations around domestic violence by using their platforms to challenge silence and stigma.

Actresses Tonto Dikeh and Mercy Aigbe have both spoken publicly about experiences of abuse in former relationships and participated in campaigns against domestic violence. Singer Tiwa Savage has also been publicly associated with conversations around unhealthy and abusive relationships.

Such voices can help challenge the misconception that domestic violence happens only in poor or disadvantaged homes. However, celebrity advocacy must complement, rather than replace, effective institutions, survivor services and legal intervention.

What needs to change?

Addressing domestic violence requires more than encouraging survivors to leave. It requires creating conditions in which leaving is actually possible and safe.

Nigeria needs stronger enforcement of existing laws, accessible shelters, affordable legal assistance and better-trained frontline responders. Survivors and their children should also have access to mental health and psychosocial support.

Economic empowerment is important because women who have independent sources of income are more likely to have options outside abusive relationships.

There is also a need for sustained public education. Communities must understand that hitting, threatening, humiliating, sexually coercing or controlling a partner is not a normal part of marriage.

Most importantly, children exposed to violence must be treated as people who also need protection and support.

Conclusion

Domestic violence in Nigeria is often hidden behind the walls of homes, but its consequences are visible in hospitals, schools, workplaces, police stations and courtrooms.

The latest NDHS shows that nearly one in four women who have ever had a partner has experienced physical, sexual or emotional violence from a current or most recent partner. At the same time, the finding that 58 per cent of women who experienced physical or sexual violence did not seek help or tell anyone reveals how much of the crisis remains hidden.

The challenge, therefore, is not only to encourage survivors to speak. It is to build a society in which speaking out is met with protection rather than blame, and where leaving an abusive relationship does not mean choosing between violence and poverty, homelessness or losing one’s children.

Domestic violence should never be dismissed as a private disagreement between couples. It is a violation of human rights, a threat to public health and, when children are involved, a threat to their safety and development.

A home should be where people find safety, dignity and protection. For too many Nigerian Women , it remains a place where fear is learned and endured. Breaking that cycle requires families, communities, institutions and government to recognise domestic violence for what it is — not a private family matter, but a crisis that demands collective action.