SPIRITAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY ATTAKWU, ENUGU STATE

NAME: EZEDIUGWU SOLOMON NONSO

YEAR: YEAR ONE
REG NO. 19/UN/A/SA/934
COURSE: PEACE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION II.
COURSE CODE: GSP202
LECTURER: REV. FR. DR. CLETUS OBASI, CMF
TOPIC: THE ROLE OF TRADITIONAL RULERS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE
DATE: 18/07/2020.

INTRODUCTION

Man by nature is a social being. This implies that no man (man in the generic sense) can exist in
isolation without interaction. And in course of interacting with one another, human differences
must always surface and prop up. Putting differently, there must always be misunderstanding
which can either be caused by human emotion, human ego or other unforeseen circumstances.
This misunderstanding when not properly handled often leads to conflict or violence and in
extreme cases leads to war.

Misunderstanding is bound to occur but the way it is handled depends on what comes out of it. in
course of handling and settling disputes, according to Barret & Barret (2004), the most basic and
common form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is negotiation whereby the disputants
talk about their problem and reach an agreement that both can accept. Wikipedia contributors
define negotiation as “a dialogue between two or more people or parties intended to reach a
beneficial outcome over one or more issues where a conflict exists with respect to at least one of
these issues. Negotiation is an interaction and process between entities who compromise to agree
on matters of mutual interest, while optimizing their individual utilities. This beneficial outcome
can be for all of the parties involved, or just for one or some of them” (Wikipedia Contributors,
25th June 2020).

Conflict which often results to violence of fight occurs on different levels and categories.
However, in this work, our sole interest is on conflicts that occur in families which may be
between husband and wife, children and parents or vice versa other members of the nuclear

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family across the world and how traditional rulers who often act as the mediator or arbitrator do
resolve and install peace between the disputants.

Hence, in what follows are methodic steps on how this project can possibly be achieved and
executed:

UNMASKING KEY CONCEPTS

Who are Traditional Rulers?

According to Ola and Tonwe (2009) a 'traditional ruler' may be defined as the traditional head of
an ethnic group or clan who is the holder of the highest primary executive authority in an
indigenous polity, or who has been appointed to the positioning accordance with the customs and
tradition of the area concerned by instrument or order of the state government, and whose title is
recognised as a traditional ruler title by the Government of the State (p.174). This implies that
the traditional ruler of a place is the chief executive officer of that region or ethnic group who
does not only execute plans made by the government of the place but also makes laws and
legislations that will ensure peace and harmony in his or her place of jurisdiction. It is important
to note that unlike the popular view held by man people across the world, a traditional ruler is
not necessarily a man, a woman too rules. Hence, patriarchalism is alien to traditional rulership
in Nigeria.

A source has it that “Modern Nigeria encompasses lands traditionally occupied by highly
diverse ethnic groups with very different languages and traditions. In broad terms, the southeast
was occupied mainly by Igbo, the Niger Delta by Edo and Igbo related people, the southwest
by Yoruba and related people and the north by Hausa and Fulani people, with a complex
intermingling of different ethnic groups in the Middle Belt between North and South. In total
there were (and are) more than 200 distinct ethnic groups” (Wikipedia contributors 2020, June
26) in Nigeria. Also very many other African countries too have traditional rulers who are not
much different (if any) from those found in Nigeria.

History of the present day Nigeria has it that “Before the arrival of the British in the late 19th
century, the history of the area was turbulent, with periods when empires such as those
of Oyo, Benin, Kanem-Bornu and Sokoto gained control over large areas, and other periods
when the states were more fragmented. Although political structures differed widely between

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different ethnic groups, it was common for each town or collection of towns to have a recognized
ruler, who might in turn be subordinate to the ruler of a larger polity. Thus, the Sokoto caliphate
was divided into emirates, with the emirs loosely subordinate to the Sultan of Sokoto, although at
times acting as independent rulers” (ibid.). It is this set of rulers before and after colonization of
Nigeria that are called traditional rulers. Generally speaking, traditional rulers in Nigeria are
mostly uneducated, aged, and wise and they make judgments and rules from experience from
oral tradition.

Djebah et al (2010) noted that “Nigerian traditional rulers often derive their titles from the rulers
of independent states or communities that existed before the formation of modern Nigeria.
Although they do not have formal political power, in many cases they continue to command
respect from their people and have considerable influence.” Nigerian traditional rulers “maintain
the monarchical styles and titles of their sovereign ancestors, both their independent activities
and their relations with the central and regional governments of Nigeria” (Wikipedia contributors
2020, June 26). And as there exist very many dialects in Nigeria, so also do we have many
traditional rulers’ titles. In fact, a Wikipedia source has the total language in Nigeria to be 521
hence, we supposedly have up 521 titles for different traditional rulers in Nigeria.

It is germane to note here that in Nigeria, traditional rulers command gamut of influence and
control considerable political and economic power especially in their areas of jurisdiction. No
doubt that in Nigeria, we have affluent traditional rulers who own mansions and wealth even
bigger than some government officials. For instance, Olugbo of Ugbo has a net worth of $300m
(N117billion), Sultan of Sokoto $100m (N34 billion), Ooni of Ife $70m (N 27.3 billion) and Obi
of Onitsha $50m (N 19.5 billion) and many others (posted by Henry Egan at naijaauto.com).
These various monarchical traditional rulers are distinctively hereditary unlike that of political
rulers and appointees. They pass over the baton of leadership to their kith and kin on their demise
or if any mishap occurs that can impede his ruling capacity and strength. In Nigeria as much as I
know, there is nothing like election of a traditional ruler. The closest that can be seen is that
many heirs may emerge which will raise conflict that will only be settled rather than near
democratic election. It is important that mentioned should be made of some major traditional
titles in the country which are but not limited to Olu, Igwe, Mene, Oba, and many other that for
the want of space and time cannot be listed here.
What is Violence?

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Violence is "the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy or "actions or
words that are intended to hurt people” (Cambridge Dictionary). Again the World Health
Organization defines violence as "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or
actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in
or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or
deprivation” (WHO, 2002).
What then is Domestic Violence?
The concept domestic violence has different denotation in different cultures and texts. In the
Oxford Dictionary of Law 5th edition, it is called Battered Spouse or Cohabitant while in some
places it is called Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), Family Violence or Domestic Abuse. All
these point to the fact that domestic violence is violence or other abuse in a domestic setting,
such as in marriage or cohabitation. “Domestic violence is often used as a synonym for intimate
partner violence, which is committed by a spouse or partner in an intimate relationship against
the other spouse or partner, and can take place in heterosexual or same-sex relationships, or
between former spouses or partners. In its broadest sense, domestic violence also involves
violence against children, parents, or the elderly. It takes a number of forms,
including physical, verbal, emotional, economic, religious, reproductive, and sexual abuse,
which can range from subtle, coercive forms to marital rape and to violent physical abuse such as
choking, beating, female genital mutilation, and acid throwing that results in disfigurement or
death. Domestic murders include stoning, bride burning, honor killings, and dowry deaths (which
sometimes involve non-cohabitating family members)” (Wikipedia contributors, June 28, 2020).
Studies have shown as depicted by Bruhn that in the United States of America, domestic
violence which takes the form of physical, emotional, psychological, and sexual hurts occur
every eighteen seconds (Bruhn,1997). No one deserves to be hurt in any way. Everyone is entitle
to feel safe, secure and unabused even as they grow (for children), or go about their usual routine
daily works or duties.

It is important to note that some authors see domestic violence in a very wide range such that it
encompasses any violence against not only the immediate or nuclear family but also against any
neighbors or tenets within the community (Bruhn, 1997).

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: A HISTORICAL TRAJECTORY

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Stets (1998) in her book Domestic Violence and Control noted sternly that domestic violence is
not a new trend in the society of man. She continues that domestic violence even existed in and
after the Roman Empire which dates back to thousands of years ago even before the birth of
Jesus Christ. She puts it thus:

Domestic violence has occurred for centuries. From the days of ancient
Babylon to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, to the middle Ages and its
feudal economy, to twentieth century industrial capitalism, men's right to use
physical force against women has been lawful and expected. Men have been
given the right to beat their wives for just about anything: A woman could be
beaten if she behaved shamelessly and caused jealousy, was lazy, unwilling
to work in the fields, became drunk, spent too much money, or neglected the
house. Before the nineteenth century, when a woman married she lost
property and personal rights. This had implications for wife-beating (Stets,
1998, p.3).

This was the peak of patriachalism and the utmost form of legendary of masculine emasculation
in history. Little wonder authors of those ages down to the ending of the nineteen century gave
serious credence and right to man bullying their wives and children even for the slightest
provocation.

Again Langley and Levy (1977) point out that:

One of the most bizarre Catch 22 conditions imposed on women by men was
the legal concept that when two people married, they became one in the eyes
of the law. This prevented a woman from suing her husband-regardless of
what he did to her property or her person-because under the law a man and
wife were one, and it is impossible to sue yourself ... it was easy to conclude
that a husband couldn't be charged with beating his wife because he and his
wife were one. How can you arrest someone for beating himself? (pp. 35-36).

This very assertion validates legally the beating of a wife by the husband.

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More so, many people believe violence is a learned behavior. In such a way that if you see it in
your family, you are more likely to continue it in your future relationships with your wife or
husband. The act enters one’s sub consciousness such that he or she may see it as the valid form
of human conduct. Hence, sixty percent of boys who witness violence in the home grow up to
abuse their adult partners (Stets, 1998).
It was not until the wake of the 20th century that most countries of the world began protection
rights and bills. It was precisely in 1993 that UN published a document titled Strategies for
Confronting Domestic Violence: A Resource Manual  This publication urged countries around
the world to treat Domestic Violence as a criminal act, “stated that the right to a private family
life does not include the right to abuse family members, and acknowledged that, at the time of its
writing, most legal systems considered Domestic Violence to be largely outside the scope of the
law, describing the situation at that time as follows: "Physical discipline of children is allowed
and, indeed, encouraged in many legal systems and a large number of countries allow moderate
physical chastisement of a wife or, if they do not do so now, have done so within the last 100
years. Again, most legal systems fail to criminalize circumstances where a wife is forced to have
sexual relations with her husband against her will. [...] Indeed, in the case of violence against
wives, there is a widespread belief that women provoke, can tolerate or even enjoy a certain level
of violence from their spouses” (UNODC, 1953).
Thanks to the wake and advent of feminism in the 19th and 20th centuries through ground
breaking works of courageous women like the philosopher Simone de Beauvoir’s classic text
titled The Second Sex which was published in 1949, and also that of  Voltairine de
Cleyre, Victoria Woodhull and Elizabeth Clarke Wolstenholme Elmy who fought to criminalize
marital rape in the late 19th century. These their actions were built upon by subsequent feminists
(the second, third and recently the fourth wave) feminist movements which yielded the fruit of
having a ban on sexual harassment, Violence Against Women (VAW), also known as gender-
based violence and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), and rape cultures which are
violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls in the family and society
at large. From this point very many societies around the world began seeing evil in not just
domestic violence but also other abuses directed against the feminine gender. To be more
concrete in 2005, India enacted decree for the protection of women from domestic violence
(Wikipedia contributors, June 28, 2020).

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POSSIBLE CAUSES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Stets (1998) established that English common law on which America is based gave validity to
domestic violence in their nuptial act. She puts it thus: English common law, upon which
American law is based, gave husbands the right to chastise their wives. This right was modified
by the nineteenth century "Rule of Thumb," which meant that a husband could beat his wife with
a rod no thicker than his thumb. It wasn't until the 1870s that wife-beating became illegal in most
states. Unfortunately, wife-beating remained quite common.
Apart from this, we have numerous causes or reasons of domestic violence across the world.
Below we shall discuss a few of them:
Circle Of Violence
Very many persons who suffer from domestic abuses especially children do end up abusing
others in a similar or grosser way. They inadvertently learn the act being violent towards their
partners such that there seems to be a generational transmission of violence from parents to
offspring. It often times remain intergenerational such that the circle continues only within the
family or community. According to Deborah Lockton (1997), responses to violence from
childhood differs between sexes such that boys learn to be violent while girls learn to be passive
victims. Below are her words:
The boy witnessing violence between his parents becomes a violent partner in
front of his children who in turn become violent partners in front of their
children and so on. The girl, seeing her mother as a victim of violence, chooses
a violent partner and herself becomes the victim. The cycle of violence theory
thus suggests that violent behaviour can be learned as either a witness or a
victim of violence, so creating a ‘norm’ (Lockton, 1997, p.29).

She is trying to say that experiencing violence as a victim, or witness in one’s childhood will one
way or the other influence the person’s attitude to violent behaviour at adulthood and in majority
of instances, they see domestic violence as a norm thereby making a circle of domestic violence
in the society.
Social And Pathological Factors
Some researchers such as Clinton (as cited by Lockton) that social factor such as lack of
employment, drunkenness, lack of money and other social factors contribute a lot to rise in

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domestic violence. Boredom and idleness cannot be forgotten as the hike in domestic violence
(especially physical and sexual abuses) during the lockdown across the world and in Nigeria to
be specific. While some believe that most men who abuse their spouses are mentally derailed and
not normal.
EFFECTS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON FAMILIES AND SOCIETY AT LARGE
There are several effects that can be accrued and generated by incessant domestic violence. And
these effects span through the immediate family that experiences the violence to the society
which they belong to as whatever happens to the family in one way of the other reflects
positively or negatively on the society. They are but not limited to the following:

Psychological Trauma On The Children

Whenever the parents fight either in the presence of their children or they lock themselves in the
room and fight, it adversely and psychological traumatizes the children who will necessarily be
the victim as there must be transfer of aggression from the weak on them. In some cases the
children will be troubled such that it will even affect their academic performance in schools and
colleges. The children will be in the class but truly they are not there. They are absent minded
because of what they have seen in their home. They may in some cases not be able to explain
what really they are feeling but deep down within them, they are not themselves as the ugly
violence they have seen home will keep being a picture in their mind.

Stunted Family Growth And Development

Families who constant engage in domestic violence either the father beats up the wife or the wife
beating the husband or the children beating up either of their parents are always characterized by
underdevelopment as they cannot seat and plan or invest. Neither can they grow and do well like
any other family because there is no peace. Absence of peace instantly means escape of mutual
trust and harmony.

Depression and anxiety

Many victims of domestic violence do suffer greatly from depression and anxiety both mentally
and psychologically.

Attempting Suicide

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Very many victims of domestic violence especially women and orphans do attempt taking their
own life and they barely see no meaning in living when you are vulnerable to all. Studies and
experience have shown that many suicide cases and attempts are side effects of abuses done to
the victim.

Poor Social Skill And Delivery In Work Places

Domestic violence always result in poor performance and delivery among employees. We have
had cases where a mechanic just fought at home with the wife and resulting in high level of
absentmindedness in work place which eventually lead to his sack. No less can we forget series
of stories about some medical doctors who made wrong surgeries and prescriptions due to
psychological trauma accrued from domestic violence.

Use Of Drug And Abuse Of Alcohol

This is often experience in our societies especially in the Nigerian parlance where one takes to
drugging and alcohol because of domestic violence. The victim engages in taking drugs just to
ease his or her condition and see how he or she can forget the ugly incident of the abuse.
Unfortunately, drugging or alcohol does not in any way a palliative or ameliorate the painful and
ugly scene of the abuse.

Being Violent To Threats

The last to be discussed here is that victims of domestic violence end up themselves being
violent to threats either in school, home or colleges. The instinct in them either consciously or
not develops a great resistance to any threat which they see as oppression.

TRADITIONAL RULERS AND THEIR ROLES IN CURBING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Traditional rulers are leaders just like other social institutional leaders across the world. And as
leaders or rulers, they have the primary responsibility to maintain order, freedom from abuses
and security in their various areas of jurisdiction. Hence, below we shall see how traditional
rulers can help curb the menace of domestic violence in our society:

Sensitization: The first thing that all traditional rulers ought to do as a leader who have both
legislative and executive power over a territory and has a primary goal of establishing,
maintaining and ensuring peace, love and harmony among his or her people is to sensitize them

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on the evils of domestic violence and other abuses channeled to victims. Public awareness
programs which may take the form of community gathering at the town square, town hall
seminars, conferences among the educated ones and other means that can convey domestic
violence as a society evil.

Punitive And Consistent Measures: As the chief executive officer of his or her people,
punishing perpetrators of domestic violence should not be negotiable. Not just punishing but
consistently and appropriate deterrent or corrective measures.

New Way Of Solving Family Issues: The traditional ruler with his or her wealth of experience
can come up with new ways of solving family issues which can work in their culture other than
abuses or other violent acts. In his arbitration or mediative role in family issues which he or she
must always face as a leader in the community, he must counsel the parties that other non-
abusive or non-violent means of settling disputes can be tolerated but not violence or other
inhumane abusive strategies.

Helping Women To Be Financially Independent: Since among the causes of domestic

violence economic influence is supreme, it is important to say that traditional rulers can
encourage her or his people especially the women to be financial stable or undependable so as to
assist in the family and not rely solely on the husband for everything. Loans can be given to help
them engage in trading, farming or secure government jobs.

5. Most traditional rulers in Nigeria do not see females as human persons that supposed to get a
with-collar job. They must start to recommend women too for job opportunities. Not only men.

RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION

I wish to recommend at the close of this opportuned exercise that domestic violence should not
be handled only by traditional rulers but also many other agents in the human society as the
spake of domestic violence and the mortality rate due to it as well as the adverse and
traumatizing consequences of it on the victim in particular and the society in general is alarming
and needs a definite stop or controlled to its bearest minimum.

Religious leaders from all the religion in the world and in Nigeria precisely should stop
pecuniary preaching and exultation and focus on how to make the human society a better place

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through admonishing parents, to-wed couples and the youths on the evils embedded in Domestic
violence. This can be done through conferences, seminars and marriage counseling sessions. No
less helpful will marriage sponsors, and friends too be helpful.

Parents have the responsibility to stop violent behaviours either in the presence of their children
or other children or even in the hidden, what is bad is bad. And above all, they must see it as a
duty to advise their children from childhood that domestic violence with oral, sexual, physical
etc is wrong and must be avoid at all cost and most importantly to their children who are about to
enter new relationships. This must be a bell ringing in their ears on daily basis with all amount of
seriousness and dedication.

Those who sponsor couples must see it as a duty they owe God in whose presence they made
their vow of commitment to walk along with the newly wedded couples in their bad times and
good times especially when either partner finds it difficult to control emotion. Most marriage
sponsors see it as a show-up scene which ends as the rice finishes from the dish. It is a live-long
accompaniment which must not be halted.

Conclusively, should be supported and monitored in the fight against domestic violence as this
will give them the financial power to curb the menace of domestic violence in Nigeria.

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REFERENCES
Barret, T. J & Barret, J.P. (2005).
Ola, R.F. & Tonwe, D.A. (2009).
Martin, E. A. (ed.). (2003).
Stets, J.E. (1998).
Langley, R., & Levy, R.C. (1977).
United Nations. (1993).
Lockton D. (1997).
Wikipedia Contributors. (2020, July 16). Domestic violence. In Wikipedia, The Free
WHO (2002),
UNODC (1953).  Strategies for confronting domestic violence: a resource
A History of Alternative Dispute Resolution: The Story of a
Political, Cultural and Social Movement. United States.
Jossey-Bass.
Local Adminitration and Local Government in Nigeria.
Lagos: Amfitop Books.
Oxford Dictionary of Law (5th Edition). New York. Oxford
University Press.
Domestic Violence and Control. New York. Springer-
Verlag.
Wife beating: The silent crisis. New York: Pocket Books.
Strategies for Confronting Domestic Violence: A Resource
Manual. Pdf. Retrived July 18, 2020.
Domestic violence. London. Cavendish Publishing Limited.
Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:06, July 18, 2020,
from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Domestic_violence&oldid=967906055
"The forms and contexts of violence",
in WHO (ed.), World report on violence and health:
summary, Geneva, Switzerland: World Health
Organization, pp. 17–18, archived from the original on July
14, 2020
manual (PDF). New York: United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime
(UNODC). ISBN 9789211301588. Archived (PDF) from
the original on July 15, 2020.
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Djebah, O.; Collins Edomaruse;Lanre Issa-Onilu; Agaju Madugba; Oke Epia (31 August 2003). 
"Royal Fathers: Their Power,
Influence,Relevance..." BNW

News. Retrieved July 17, 2020.

Kinstlinger-Bruhn, C. (1997). Everything You Need to Know About Breaking the Circle
of Domestic Violence. New York. The Rosen Publishing
Group, Inc.

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