Abuse is multi-faceted —Awosemusi

Dupe Awosemusi, a seasoned arbitrator and mediator who is the former coordinator of the Oyo State S3xual and Gender based Violence Response Team and currently, the director of the Oyo Mediation Center of the Oyo State Ministry of Justice speaks with ADEOLA OJO about the complexities of abuse and the various forms it can take, its impact on victims and the resources available for support and prevention among other issues.

Is abuse just physical?

No, abuse is not just physical. Indeed, abuse is multi-faceted, it is in various forms; I want to talk about physical abuse using the Southwest as reference, there are different forms of abuse around us and they are all dangerous to the health even more than the physical abuse that many understand and believe. There is emotional abuse, psychological abuse, economic or financial abuse and s3xual abuse among others. Emotional abuse is very common amongst couples and it can lead to suicidal thoughts. Economic and financial abuse can be used interchangeably, economic abuse is when a husband prevents his wife from having access to resources they should both have.

In clear terms, physical harm, injury or threat of harm, such as hitting, pushing, or restraining is physical abuse and this is what people understand. But there are more dangerous forms; emotional abuse which is the verbal or non-verbal behavior that can cause emotional harm, such as insults, humiliation, or manipulation, verbal abuse which includes using words to harm, intimidate or control someone like yelling, name-calling or threats then the economic or financial abuse which is in the form of controlling or exploiting someone’s financial resources, such as withholding money, stealing, or coercing financial decisions.

We also have a more common type which is neglect; that is, failing to provide necessary care, support or attention to someone, such as abandoning or withholding basic needs like food, water, or shelter and psychological abuse which is manipulating or controlling someone’s thoughts, feelings or behaviors, such as gaslighting, mind games, or emotional manipulation.

When we talk about sexual abuse, then we must emphasise that it often leads to being emotionally bruised and stalking is also a form of abuse that people overlook, it is when you have someone following you positively or negatively, especially on social media.

How does different types of abuse impact victim?

Physical abuse gives scars, bruises, strangulation, acid bath, thereby causing the victims to lose some parts of their bodies or death as a result of physical combats. Survivors are people who survive abuse while victims are those that die as a result of the abuse. Talking about the psychological impact of abuse, a lot of people die in installments, that is, gradually.

The emotional impact of abuse is worse than the physical impact which can lead to low self-esteem because when one has lost his/her self-esteem, that life is as good as gone. Economic abuse can lead to extramarital affairs and the effects of abuse are enormous.

Are there people or a demographic more vulnerable to abuse?

Everybody is prone to abuse whether male or female, some certain sets of people are vulnerable to abuse ranging from people with disability, aged, school children, teenagers and girls but some set of people are more vulnerable; they are people living with some form of disability or people in IDP camps. This is because they know they are abused but can’t get justice because their impairment makes it difficult. Example of this is the case of a blind person that is raped, identifying the perpetrator is difficult, and also, I have seen the case of a deaf and dumb person that was abused, it was difficult for her to explain her situation. These people are more vulnerable just like an internally displaced person, they have no choice than to stay in the camp where they are abused which makes it more difficult for them to avoid further abuse or fight for justice.

What resources are available to victims?

There are laws and constitutions protecting victims. Also, there are facilities victims can be taken to and policies that can protect victims. The only issue is victims do not report abuse in Nigeria due to different factors.

If I am being abused and I am in Oyo State, what can I do?

This is quite simple; report at the nearest security agency particularly, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corp (NSCDC). Then you can report to the Oyo State S3xual and Gender Based Violence Response Team, the Mediation Centre in the Oyo State Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Women Affairs and you are sure of getting justice.

In what context can abuse occur?

Abuse can occur in various contexts; domestic violence is the abuse within intimate relationships such as between partners or spouses, it can occur as child abuse which is in the form of abuse or neglect of children by caregivers, parents or other adults. We have elder abuse which is abuse or neglect of older adults, often by caregivers or family members, workplace abuse, that is, abuse or harassment in a professional setting, such as bullying, harassment, or exploitation and institutional abuse which is abuse or neglect within institutions, such as schools, hospitals, or prisons.

Can outsiders recognize abuse?

Yes. And some signs to consider are unexplained injuries or physical harm, changes in behavior, mood, or personality, fear, anxiety, or avoidance of certain situations or people, difficulty making decisions or asserting oneself and feeling trapped, controlled, or manipulated.

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