From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
A new doctoral study at the University of Ibadan has revealed that many men are suffering spousal abuses in Lagos State.
This was part of the findings of a doctoral thesis, entitled “Spousal Abuse Against Men in Lagos State, Nigeria,” carried out by Dr Ifeanyi Uzoamaka Chukwuma. The study was supervised by renown criminologist and former Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), U.I., Prof Adeyinka Aderinto.
The study revealed that many married men are victims of spousal abuse but suffer in silence because “the society does not believe men can be victims of spousal abuse, hence, the non-disclosure of such experience for fear of stigmatisation.”
According to the study, married men among the sampled population in Kosofe, Lagos Mainland, Agege, Mushin and Ikorodu, are victims of different forms of spousal abuse.
According to Dr Uzoamaka Chukwuma, married men suffered mostly emotional abuse, followed by sexual abuse, physical and economic abuses.
She explained that men who are older than their wives experienced more abuse than men who are younger than their wives.
According to her, married men whose wives were not in their first marriagr were two times more likely to experienced spousal abuse while men in polygamous marriage are less likely to be victims of spousal abuse.
The criminologist who successfully defended her thesis at the department of Sociology, stated that despite being abused, “men would not report because they feared reactions from friends and family, did not want third-party interference and because they were still financially dependent on their wives”.
Dr Chukwuma who noted that spousal abuse against men is underreported despite its prevalence in lagos, asked that federal and state governments should establish centers to deal with male victims of spousal abuse and prosecute female perpetrators.