Gender-based violence (GBV) refers to harmful acts directed at an individual based on their gender. It is rooted in gender inequality, the abuse of power, and harmful norms. In Nigerian healthcare settings, nurses frequently encounter victims of GBV across emergency wards, general outpatient clinics, and maternal health units. Recognizing the broad spectrum of abuse goes beyond physical wounds to include psychological, financial, and cultural violations.
Physical violence involves any act of non-accidental physical force that causes bodily harm, pain, or impairment. Common clinical presentations seen by nurses include:
Psychological abuse inflicts mental anguish through verbal assaults, intimidation, constant humiliation, and isolation. Victims often suffer from severe anxiety, depression, and loss of self-esteem. While these injuries are invisible, they carry profound mental health consequences that can trigger psychosomatic illnesses and complicate physical healing.
Sexual violence encompasses any non-consensual sexual contact, attempted sexual act, or acts directed against a person's sexuality using coercion. In healthcare settings, victims require urgent care including forensic evidence collection, emergency contraception, and prophylaxis against sexually transmitted infections. Nurses must approach these patients with extreme empathy, privacy, and non-judgmental care.
Economic abuse involves controlling a person's ability to acquire, use, and maintain financial resources. Abusers may deny access to money, forbid employment, or sabotage job attendance. This form of control traps victims in abusive relationships because they lack the financial independence required to leave.
Harmful traditional practices are cultural behaviors deeply embedded in certain communities that violate human rights and health. Examples include female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, and severe widowhood rites. These practices cause severe short-term pain and long-term complications such as chronic pelvic pain, obstetric fistula, and psychological trauma.
Nurses occupy a frontline position in identifying victims of GBV. Assessment requires maintaining privacy, asking direct non-threatening questions, and observing subtle behavioral cues like avoidance of eye contact or hesitation. Documenting injuries accurately with photographs and precise quotes in medical records is vital for legal protection and future prosecution.