Hardship: Families beg for leftovers at restaurants as gender-based violence rises in Akwa Ibom

The sharp rise in fuel prices and persistent inflation in Nigeria has deepened poverty across the country, leaving many families in financial despair, report has observed.

In Akwa Ibom State, for instance, the economic strain has not only crippled households but also fueled an alarming increase in gender-based violence (GBV).

Findings by our reporter have shown that women who once contributed to their families’ income now face heightened domestic abuse as their financial independence erodes under economic pressure.

The inability of families to afford basic necessities, coupled with the frustration of a failing economy, has turned many homes into battlegrounds where violence thrives in the shadow of poverty.

Picture this: Uduak Eyo, 37, breaks into sobs intermittently as she describes the pain and torture her husband put her through when she lost her job at an eatery.

“The last eight months have been hell. He is constantly reminding me of how he made a mistake by getting married to me and leaving behind graduates who were rushing him,” she sobbed.

Uduak, who hails from Nsit Atai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, South-South Nigeria, said her husband became verbally and physically abusive because she could no longer earn an income.

“He began drinking and staying out late,” she said.

Reporting the abuse to her in-laws did not help.

Most of the women interviewed by reporters have two major things in common: they are from Akwa Ibom State and are currently out of jobs.

They all have similar experiences of gender-based violence in their homes, which they attribute to the bad economy, rising inflation, as well as the impact of fuel subsidy removal in the country. They have all shared stories of physical, emotional, and verbal abuse.