Prevalence of domestic violence
The concept of “domestic violence” is on its own could exude some level of ambiguity; therefore there is a tendency of it being misconstrued as many still have varying and conflicting perspective of the true meaning of this volatile subject matter. That said, it is imperative that the true meaning of domestic violence be understood [before steps could even be taken towards curbing it]. Domestic violence conventionally could be said to be the infliction of physical injury by a relative [or household member] on another, and this pattern of behavior is often repetitive. Domestic violence encompasses spousal or intimate partner violence, child abuse, child maltreatment and suchlike. More often than not domestic violence is misunderstood as just cases of man beating spouse but beyond that, cases of women maltreating their spouses are also becoming a common trend.
Domestic violence is not [and has never been] exclusive to our society; it is in fact a human problem prevalent in advanced countries as well as developing countries but the difference lies in the ways these two 'worlds' handle cases of domestic violence. Cases of domestic violence are potential murder cases and are treated as such in advanced nations while here in our society they are treated as cases of mere dispute or misdemeanor, perhaps the presence of the term domestic there waters down the adverse effect this vice has upon the society- the saying that 'it's a family matter' is often used to quell the severity of the abuse. And in many cases of domestic violence, it is often seen that perpetrators hinge the blame on the devil or perhaps are left wishing things turned out differently, no sane individual would wish to murder- let alone harm- the person whom he/she promised to spend the rest of his/her life with but situations arise and it could happen to be that one push, punch or slap that deals the fatal blow.
As the above explanation of domestic violence goes, it is obvious that it occurs in a cycle; re-occurring abusive tendencies and/or traits may have been observed but silence and somewhat misjudged perseverance keep victims in such abusive relationship. However, this ends up not only to harm of the victims but could yet leave an imprint in minds of the offsprings- whereby procreation is involved- thereby causing a greater threat to the society as this deviant behavior endlessly fester [from one generation to another].
So rampant is domestic violence in our society today that people often make bold and 'unrepentant' confessions about hitting their spouses. Again, viewing it from another angle; some women believe in the very paternalistic nature of the African society that they often see no wrongdoing in getting beaten by their spouses. So, it is very important to reorient the people [most especially women] that they are not properties of their spouse but rather their helpmate, and it is imperative that people understand that under no circumstance should men hit women regardless of her offense as there are several non-violent ways of dispute resolution between a couple.
As earlier emphasized, domestic violence is not about the man and woman alone; even the inability of parents to understand the line between discipline and brutality of their children can result in cases of domestic violence. And it often circles around abusive homes because chances are high that one who was raised in an abusive environment would not know how to adequately cater for their own family [if they have one]- even when they find themselves in a non-abusive setting.