DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA: WITHAL THE LAWS?

Abstract

Despite the available of laws and institutions for curbing the menace of domestic violence in Nigeria, reports from news medium reveals a seemingly increase in the plight of victims of domestic violence in Nigeria. The essence of this paper is to establish the adequacy and challenges with the existing institutional and legal framework on this subject. The paper argues that domestic violence violates the victim's fundamental human rights and the right to life and dignity of its victim. Its further reveals that, unfortunately, many countries have legislation that provides effective protection against gender-based violence. The paper also appraises evidence from Nigeria regarding the passage of new legislation at the Federal and State levels. Further still, the paper critically examines how effective these laws will be. Necessary analyses are brought to bear on these existing legal frameworks on domestic violence. The paper concludes by recommending the combined effect of both internal laws and the adoption of international laws worldwide from advanced countries with standard and effective legal frameworks.