Perception of what acts constitute violence against women among adult residents of onitsha metropolis, Anambra state, Nigeria

The purpose of this paper is to examine the perception of the act that most constitutes violence against women among adult residents of Onitsha using a sample of 1,165 respondents that are 18 years and above. Data was collected using questionnaire and focus group discussion. Results indicate that 42.2% of the respondents regarded beating as the act that most constitute violence against women while 59.6% felt beating was the most prevalent in Onitsha. Males and females do not differ in their views about act that most constitute violence against women. Rape was found to also be a common form of violence against women. The study recommends the need for a reevaluation of the current public awareness campaigns in order to include all acts that constitute violence against women in line with United Nations definition so that people will not have erroneous beliefs about what acts actually constitute violence against women.