Domestic Violence and International Human Rights Law: Examining Nigeria’s Compliance with CEDAW

This paper examines Nigeria's compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) as it relates to domestic violence, with particular attention to legal frameworks and implementation challenges in the South West geopolitical zone. Domestic violence remains a pervasive human rights problem in Nigeria, with disproportionate impacts on women in states such as Lagos, Ogun, and Osun. The study employs a doctrinal research methodology, reviewing CEDAW provisions alongside Nigeria's Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act of 2015 and its state-level counterparts to determine the degree of legislative alignment. It also analyses recent reports submitted by Nigeria to the CEDAW Committee and the Committee's concluding observations. Findings indicate that while Nigeria has made legislative progress at the federal level, full domestication of CEDAW obligations across all thirty-six states remains incomplete, and enforcement of existing laws is inconsistent. Customary law norms in many jurisdictions continue to conflict with international standards on gender equality and women's protection. The paper argues that bridging the gap between international commitments and domestic practice requires sustained judicial interpretation, legal aid expansion, and community sensitisation programmes. It further recommends that the Nigerian government accelerate the passage of gender equality legislation at the state level and invest in the capacity of law enforcement agencies to respond effectively to domestic violence cases. Keywords: CEDAW, domestic violence, gender equality, VAPP Act, Nigeria.