AN APPRAISAL OF THE LAWS AND SANCTIONS AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA

Domestic violence is a widespread and common phenomenon which has taken root in the hearts of the masses in Nigeria. It is seen as a usual way of life by a lot of people and as such most people do not realize that it is wrong to do so and as such is a crime. Domestic violence is not limited to illiterates and the poor, even literates, the rich and those in power commits domestic violence. At times the ones who advocate and enlighten people about domestic violence turn out to be perpetrators of domestic violence. Domestic violence cuts across all race, age, nationality, religion, gender and culture. It is assumed that males are the only perpetrators of domestic violence but in this day and age women are also perpetrators of domestic violence. The laws against domestic violence were enacted to help curb the rising incidents of domestic violence, as it was quite common and most victims had no idea it was a crime and as such had no way to seek justice when domestic violence was committed against them. The enactment of laws prohibiting domestic violence helped victims seek legal remedy against their perpetrators and became a means of justice while serving as deterrence to those who had intentions of committing domestic violence. Although all these were in place, there were the problems of some laws promoting domestic violence, some not all inclusive of gender and status while others do not incorporate a reasonable punishment for the offenders or help victims seek refuge from their abusers and also not enough awareness of the law. This work looks into the causes and effects of domestic violence and analyzes the laws on domestic violence in Nigeria. This work notes that while some of the laws made prohibiting domestic violence have been laudable, certain laws should be scraped out and more effort should be put into making awareness of the laws on domestic violence.