Healing From Within: Addressing the Mental Health Impact of Gender-Based Violence on Women in African Communities.

Imagine a world where your beloved becomes a source of fear. The lives of many African women are shaped by this heartbreaking reality, where homes and relationships, rather than being sanctuary, become arenas of violence. Gender based violence doesn’t just harm the body-it leaves deep emotional and mental scars, sometimes even spilling to generations unborn. A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a video on X that showed a woman who was mentally ill being beaten black and blue by her partner and then tossed on the street with an infant. She had bruises all over her body, left in the cold with an infant, barely clothed, no food and shelter. Concerned users were enquiring whether the man was in jail or not, but it was stated that the woman did not wish him to be arrested. Could this be Stockholm syndrome or a result of mental illness's lack of capacity to make decisions? That's a subject for another day. The link between gender-based violence and mental illness cannot be overemphasized and it is bidirectional. It's possible that the mental illness is a consequence of the trauma the woman has faced or that her illness makes her more susceptible to violence, which in turn makes her more susceptible and perpetuates the illness.

Risk Factors and Mental Health Impact of Gender-Based Violence

The mental health impact of gender-based violence is profound, affecting survivors' emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It is a widespread issue in African societies, often deeply rooted in cultural, social, and systemic inequalities.

With all these horrifying statistics, one can't help but wonder,

Why will an individual choose to stay in such toxic relationship?.

Well, the truth is such kind of abusive relationships usually start out on a loving note, before it rapidly turns sour with usually possessive and controlling traits emerging before violence ensues. Risk factors that predispose an individual to GBV are;

1. Cultural Norms and Systemic Inequalities: As previously mentioned, GBV is commonly rooted in cultural and social values, resulting in a culture of shame and victim blaming, as well as subtle societal acceptance of such behavior.
2. Lower Levels of Education: This makes the victim (usually women) more vulnerable due to lack of empowerment. This can ultimately lead to low level of women’s access to paid employment, making them dependent on their abusers, afraid to leave because they are unable to cater for themselves.
3. Exposure to Child Maltreatment: Negative childhood past experiences, is another risk factor. The child has been conditioned to tolerate abuse since childhood. This may also be a consequence of witnessing family violence that may not necessarily be directed towards the individual directly.

The privilege or assignment of higher status to men and lower status to women, as well as low levels of gender equality, are all risk factors in community norms.

The Hidden Wounds Survivors Carry

GBV can result in numerous mental health consequences for survivors, which will be discussed below;

1. Depression which is marked by persistent unhappiness, a loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities, issues with eating habits, and sleep difficulties, which can be excessive or inadequate. It is usually accompanied by low energy with victim feeling tired all the time despite doing so little, feeling of worthlessness and helplessness and eventually as it progresses the victim starts contemplating suicide as the easy way out of their misery.
2. Anxiety disorders is also one of the consequences of gender-based violence. It is characterized by persistent undue worry, feeling on edge, poor concentration with the victims being easily startled and jumpy especially in the presence of the abusive partner. This is usually accompanied by physical symptoms such as headaches, chest pain, dizziness, muscle aches, this is as a result of the body's flight, fright and fight system always being activated in response to the hostile environment victims are in.
3. Battered Woman Syndrome is another psychological condition that can also be experienced by victims. It is considered a subset of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and usually manifests as a cycle of abuse, helplessness and emotional dependency. The cycle of abuse are in three stages;

• Tension-Building Phase which manifests as increasing hostility and minor violent outbursts by perpetrator.
• Acute Battering Incidents which can be severe physical and/or emotional abuse.
• The Honeymoon Phase which manifests as periods of calm, remorse and promises of change by the abuser, sometimes even showering them with gifts. This cycle repeats itself, trapping the victim in a state of dependency, until finally victim develop learned helplessness such that she feels powerless to leave due to emotional, financial or social barriers and a believe that abuse in inevitable in whatever relationships she might find herself in.

Some survivors manage to escape and may consequently develop PTSD characterized by Flashbacks or reliving such horrific moments, hyper-vigilance, nightmares, active avoidance of places, people or memories that take them back to the terrible experience they went through. Some become very withdrawn, lonely, unable to trust making it difficult for them to thrive in their new relationships. Many of the survivors may result to the use of substances such as alcohol and other psychoactive substances as a means of coping with their reality.

Unfortunately, this might not end here, it may eventually affect the children born in that environment. Children from abusive homes may grow up with the wrong perception about relationships and life in general believing abuse is a normal way of showing care. The males may grow up to be perpetrators, while the females grow up being tolerant of abuse and enabling the vicious cycle to continue.

Finding Hope in Healing

The mental health effect of gender-based violence runs deeper than we think, leaving survivors and their offspring grappling with invisible and psychical wounds that affect their emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, feeling of hopelessness and suicide are just some of the heavy burden they carry. There’s hope however and healing is possible but it requires collective action- DébboAfrica is committed to supporting survivors and creating a safe space where victims voices are heard, their experiences validated and futures protected.

Written By Fatima Baba Aliyu