Intimate Partner Violence against Men and Women in Nigeria during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown: An Assessment of Prevalence and Forms

Background: The control of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the use of stringent control measures such as lockdowns by many countries of the world. This predisposed people in relationships to intimate partner violence (IPV). This study aimed to assess the prevalence and forms of intimate partner violence against both men and women in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 538 respondents using an online electronic questionnaire which was circulated across the 36 states in Nigeria on social media platforms - nd Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. Data were collected from May 22 - July 27 2020 and descriptiveanalysis generated using IBM SPSS version 23. Results: The mean age ± standard deviation of respondents was 37.2± 8.0 years. The overall prevalence of IPV was 216 (40.2%). Eighty-six (44.8%) men reported experiencing IPV with sexual violence 54 (28.1%) being the most reported form followed by emotional 49 (25.5), financial 20 (10.4%) and physical 18 (9.4%) violence. One hundred and thirty (37.6%) women experienced IPV during the lockdown period. The common forms of violence experienced by women were emotional 100 (28.9%), sexual 66 (19.1%), financial 42 (12.1%) and physical 31 (9.0%) violence. Conclusion: The prevalence of IPV was higher in men than women. The most reported form of violence was sexual in men and emotional in women. This underscores the need for the Federal Government to put in place systems (such as helplines for counselling and legislation) to protect people who are in relationships from IPV.