DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON CHILDREN AND ITS EFFECT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE (A CASE STUDY OF EDO STATE)
Background of the study: Ganley (1989) states that domestic violence includes: physical violence, sexual violence, emotional abuse and abuse of property and pets. According to him, exposure to these forms of violence has considerable potential to be perceived as a threat to the lives of victims and can make them feel vulnerable, helpless and, in extreme cases, horrified. Dutton (1992) defines physical violence as any behavior that involves the intentional use of force against the body of another person and that may cause physical injury, injury and / or pain. This includes pushing, hitting, slapping, suffocating, using an object to hit, twisting a part of the body, forcing the ingestion of an unwanted substance and using a weapon. Dutton (1994) defines sexual abuse as any unwanted sexual intimacy imposed on an individual by another.
This may include oral stimulation or anal or vaginal penetration, forced nudity, forced exposure to material or explicit sexual activity. Compliance can be achieved by actual physical force or threat or other forms of coercion. Psychological abuse may include derogatory statements or the threat of loss of life by another person. It can also involve isolation, economic threats and emotional abuse.
Straus and Gelles (1990), domestic violence is widespread and affects all social and economic groups. A national survey of more than 6,000 American families found that between 53% and 70% of violent men also abuse their children. Domestic violence is one of the least reported crimes in the United States, and the Department of Justice estimated in 1998 that there were between 960000 and four million domestic incidents each year.
In 1994, statistics from the justice office estimated that around 92% of domestic violence cases involved women. Wopadovi (women against domestic violence) 2014, domestic violence threatens many Nigerian families and, unfortunately, increases in our society. Many people, including the vast majority of women, have been injured, disabled and killed as a result of domestic violence. After recent events in which domestic violence has become commonplace and every day the death of spouses and lovers of domestic violence is reported, it has become a high priority to make domestic violence a threat that must be addressed. Face as soon as possible. All the seriousness that you deserve. Wopadovi also points out that domestic violence does not recognize the standards of class or social education. Domestic violence according to Wikipedia (2004) is a problem as in many parts of Africa. In Nigeria, there is a deep cultural belief that it is socially acceptable to beat a woman to discipline her spouse.
1.2 Problem statement
Although domestic violence has been recognized today as one of the most entrenched and widespread forms of violence in Nigeria, its influence on schoolchildren has not yet received the same level of attention (Tony, 2002). Child victims or witnesses of domestic violence may develop physical, psychological and behavioral problems as a result of physical, verbal, psychological and other forms of violence. This can affect their participation in school because they can go to school when they are too afraid to learn and many of them may fall behind in class or in life because of exposure to domestic violence (Wathen, 2003). The short- and long-term emotional and physical sequelae of domestic violence can affect school attendance, student achievement, and behavioral patterns of students in school and participation in the classroom. It is not known how the types and extent of domestic violence affect student achievement and school participation.