Societal responses to male victims of domestic abuse in Nigeria

Tayo, Oluwatofunmi Oreoluwa (2026) Societal responses to male victims of domestic abuse in Nigeria. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Domestic abuse is a pattern of abusive behaviour against an intimate partner with the use or the threat of abuse. While there has been an increase in service responses to female victims of domestic abuse in Nigeria, there is little evidence of service responses for male victims of domestic abuse in Nigeria.
The main aims of this research are to explore perceptions of domestic abuse perpetrated against men in Nigeria and to investigate the availability of service provision for male victims of domestic abuse. This is done against the backdrop of social-cultural and religious factors and the current legislation and policies addressing the issue in Nigeria.
The research design adopted is a qualitative method, involving the collection of qualitative data, from semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with law enforcement officers, community stakeholders (local Chiefs / faith-based organisations), advocacy groups and members of the Judiciary in Nigeria on how domestic abuse matters against men are handled by the service providers, how the Nigerian cultural society responds and how adequate the current legislation and policies on addressing domestic abuse against men in Nigeria. Also, A map out of the current legislative framework in Nigeria was conducted, it involved the analysis of relevant articles, legal documents such as The Nigerian Constitution, the Nigeria Penal Code Act, the Nigerian Criminal Code Act, Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act and publications in relation to domestic abuse.
Data collection was conducted from September 2022 – January 2023. The data was analysed using thematic analysis.
The findings identified that the experiences of male victims of domestic are usually dismissed or minimised due to societal expectations of masculinity and religious and cultural beliefs about men’s roles. Findings also found the lack of service provisions for men and identified challenges with Nigeria’s legal structure.
The research highlights a significant gap in recognising and responding to male victims of domestic abuse because the services in Nigeria on domestic abuse are developed around supporting women. Furthermore, it indicated a need for gender equality in the accessibility and provision of support in help seeking for male victims of domestic abuse.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Sociological & Cultural Studies > Criminology
• Supervisor's Name: Burman, Professor Michele and Brooks, Professor Oona
• Date of Award: 2026
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2026-86240
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 23 Sep 2026 15:03
• Last Modified: 23 Sep 2026 15:07
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.86240
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/86240