Culture, Consent, and Silence: Addressing Marital Sexual Violence and Victim- blaming in South-South Nigeria

Abstract

Sexual violence within matrimony remains one of the least recognised yet most pervasive form of gender-based violence (GBV), with profound physical, psychological, and social consequences that undermine women’s wellbeing. In Nigeria, cultural expectations, patriarchal norms, and religious interpretations often normalise coerced sex in marriage and silence survivors. This study explores lived experiences of marital sexual violence in South-South Nigeria, focusing on Oron (Akwa Ibom State), Ugep (Cross River State), and Yenagoa (Bayelsa State). Guided by Culture of Silence theory, it examines how silence is sustained and how community-level strategies may foster change. The study employed a qualitative design with 29 participants-survivors, community and religious leaders, selected through purposive and snowball sampling methods. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, document analysis of policy texts and NGO reports to contextualise survivor narratives and institutional responses. Thematic analysis identified recurrent patterns, while ethical safeguards including informed consent and confidentiality were strictly observed. Findings revealed the existence of normalisation of sexual violence as “marital duty,” patriarchal and religious reinforcement of silence, victim-blaming, emergent voices of change, and institutional gaps. The study contributes empirically by centring survivor voices, theoretically by extending Freire’s framework to marital contexts, and practically, by informing community-based intervention.