Family Violence Among Mothers Seen at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria (Report‪)‬

Family violence (FV) is a term used to describe any form of violence against any member of a household or family by one of its members. Usually women and children are the victims and men the perpetrators of FV. (1-4) Violence in the family is a complex global problem that results from biological, social and cultural factors, as well as having psychological and social consequences. (1,3,5,6) It cuts across age, race, religion and socio-economic boundaries. (1,2,6,7) This study focuses on physical assault by men against women with children in a marriage setting--a phenomenon also known as 'wife beating'. (8,9) Emotional and sexual assault were excluded although, in the African setting, these are regrettably still trivialised in the marriage context because of overbearing religious and sociocultural influences, some of which denigrate women. (8-11)