ABSTRACT

Background : Domestic violence is described as an abusive behavior used by one intimate partner to control and dominate the other intimate partner. The consistent and appropriate strategy to prevent domestic violence is by creating awareness raising campaigns as aneffective way of prohibiting violence. Therefore, the increased knowledge about domestic violence may escalate safe strategies and help reducing the abuse of women and adolescents girls resulting from impacts of domestic violence. Thus, this brought about the need to assessing the impacts of domestic violence amongst adolescents in the great soppo community, Buea. Method: A descriptive cross section study  was carried out in the great soppo community. The targeted population  were respondents (adolescents) with experiences of the impacts of violence.A simple random sampling was used to select the respondents . Data was collected using self administered questionnaire to respondents, which was  designed in respect to the objectives of the study and data analyzed using Microsoft excel 2013 and represented in percentages, tables, frequencies, figures and graphs. Results: A total of 64 respondents in the study.  out of 64% a greater part had 30(46.9%)  good knowledge on domestic violence  .The overall proportion 46% of adolescents had  knowledge on the subject matter.A reasonable percentage 22 (34.3%) could depict the factors influencing  violence, meanwhile  a greater part had  knowledge on impacts 42(65.7%) .  All citation 30(45%) said the strategies to prevent domestic violence is through emotional learning . The overall proportion 37(57.8%) had poor  knowledge on strategies to prevent domestic violence. Conclusion: The study concluded that adolescents had adequate knowledge on domestic violence , the respondents had adequate awareness on the factors and impacts of domestic violence.Finally the participants had poor knowledge on strategies to prevent domestic violence . Based on projections , awareness- raising programs should be developed in the great soppo community, as well as measures  implemented to reduce the rate of domestic violence .

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

The prevalence of domestic violence is a serious problem because it occurs in every culture and social groups .It has devastating physical , emotional and financial and social effects on children ,adolescent and families. (Winrock et al.,2010). Domestic violence is described as abusive behavior used by one intimate partner to control and dominate the other intimate partner. Studies suggest that most victims are women (Garcia et al., 2016). Nevertheless, evidence  from a range of research shows that the impact of both the direct and indirect exposure to domestic violence extends to the children in these families can severely affect a child’s emotional well-being, personal development, social interaction, and their cognitive  and educational attainment (Whelan et al., 2018).

Globally, it is estimated that up to 1 billion children aged 2–17 years, have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence or neglect in the past years. Currently, domestic violence in the home is viewed as one of the most pervasive human rights challenges of our time (UNICEF, 2016). Although it is said that anyone in a family can commit violence against the other family members, men have been known to be the primary perpetrator of domestic violence (Hague & Malos, 2015). Thus, in adult to adult violence in the home settings, evidence shows that victimization is more prevalent and frequent among women  (Johnson & Guðrún, 2014b). According to Malos  findings in 2005, domestic violence is experienced by between one in three to one in five women . In addition, research has shown that between 15 to 17%   of ever partnered women have been physically or sexually assaulted by an intimate partner at some time in their lives as a result of domestic violence .   Across sub-Sahara Africa, Violence against women is a widespread form of human rights violation, and intimate partner violence is by far its most important component (Devries et al., 2013 ). Domestic violence is associated with a wide array of negative outcomes for the women who are abused, including pregnancy loss and sexually transmitted infections (Durevall & Lindskog, 2015). Domestic violence is prevalent in all societies, but the level and the degree to which it is considered acceptable vary greatly. The countries of Sub – Saharan Africa (SSA) have very high levels of violence against women and adolescents ( Devries et al., 2013) . In Zambia, the problem domestic of violence against women is worrisome and Gender based violence is considered not an isolated problem or a side component of people’s life, but widespread, tragic and daily issue that touches and In 2016–2017 (Department for Education , 2017) the most common factor was domestic violence which applied to 49.9% of children in need; this incorporated violence directed at children or adults in the household. The second most common factor was mental health at 39.7% which likewise encompassed mental health of the child or adults in the household. The prevalence of domestic violence is not only high among children and adolescent in need but also among the wider population with as many as one in six young people in the Africa reporting experiencing it during their childhood (Radford et al., 2011) . Moreover, exposure to violence causes chronic stress, fear, and anxiety which are toxic to the brain and impairs brain development. Consequently, consistent, early exposure to domestic violence can lead to learning disabilities, behavioral issues, and physical and mental health problems to adolescents who witness domestic violence. They may also perform poorly in school. They may have an inability to concentrate and be unable to complete school work. According to  Cynthia in  , 2013 theories stipulated that  domestic violence  include right theories, cultural explanation  and social transitional theories which explains the  consequences of domestic violence on children and adolescents.

Traditionally, in Cameroon as in many other African countries, the beating of wives , adolescents is widely sanctioned as a form of discipline (UNICEF, 2011). Therefore, in beating their-children parents believe they are instilling discipline in them, much the same way as in husbands beating their wives, who are regarded like children to be prone to indiscipline which must be curbed. This is especially so when the woman is economically dependent on the man. The society is basically patriarchal and women’s place within the scheme is decidedly subordinate .Domestic violence therefore functions as a means of enforcing conformity with the role of a woman within customary society. It therefore does not matter if the woman is economically dependent or not, her position, like that of the children is subordinate .

In the southwest region of Cameroon , more than 85% of  women and girls experience rape, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence, denial of resource/opportunities, psychological abuse, physical violence, and early marriage . International rescue committee ( I.R.C ,2019) . Studies suggest that 90% of mother’s ,children and adolescents are said to be victimized with domestic violence .As a result , strategies such as a community-wide education campaign challenging social norms that ignore or support domestic  violence and mobilize individuals to take action against domestic violence in  communities should be developed.

1.2 Problem Statement

 It has been noted for decades that no country is immune to domestic violence against children. The different forms of domestic violence can occur in the home, in schools, care or justice institutions, the community or in the digital environment (Pinheiro, 2016) and that 50% of the global population under 18 had  been a  victim of domestic violence (WHO, 2020a). Most of which tends to be perpetrated by family members or people close to them. Such violence affects adolescents differently and may occur in contexts where additional risk factors give rise to other forms of domestic violence. These Include violations of the rights of adolescents in times of armed conflict (United Nations, 2013), trafficking in adolescents (UNODC, 2020) and child labor (ILO, 1999), all of which affects the physical, psychological and social integrity of children and adolescents and limits their possibilities for development. Therefore, the reason we decided to assess the impacts of domestic violence amongst adolescents aged 11- 21 years in the Great soppo community.

1.3 Research Questions 

1. Do adolescents aged 11-21 years have adequate knowledge about domestic violence at the Great soppo community?
2. What are the factors influencing domestic violence and their impacts amongst adolescents aged 11-21 years at the Great Soppo community?
3. What are the strategies to prevent domestic violence amongst adolescents aged from 11-21 years at the Great Soppo community health area?

1.4 Research Objectives

1.4.1 General Objectives

To assess the impacts of domestic violence amongst adolescents aged 11-21 years at the Great Soppo community.

1.4.2 Specific Objectives

1. To evaluate the knowledge of domestic violence amongst adolescents aged 11-21 years at the Great Soppo community.
2. To examine the factors influencing domestic violence and their impacts on adolescents age 11-21 years at the Great soppo community.              
3. To investigate the strategies to prevent domestic violence in adolescents aged 11-21 years at the Great soppo community.