Underreporting Violence Against Women in Edo State: The Implications

Domestic violence has become a regular occurrence in many African societies but its reporting is argued to be very much below especially domestic violence against women in Nigeria. This is unacceptable. This study investigated incidences of violence against women happening in various communities in Edo State. It was carried out using content analysis and qualitative research design. The population comprises of journal articles, books, reports, website and other related materials published in Nigeria from which a convenience sample was selected (2013 to 2023). The study found that the underreporting of violence happening in Edo State is the same as the underreporting of violence happening in other parts of the country. It found that there has been a slightly visible impact of the provisions of the law and the National Gender policy in abating the violence against women in Edo State. The study concluded that the incidences of violence against women results presented in the paper were a vivid reflection of the situation in Edo State. It recommended that awareness about the ills of violence should be created and severe sanctions should be given to perpetrators to eliminate violence