Participation in Adult Education and Reduction of Domestic Violence in Rural Ekiti State

This study investigates the relationship between adult education participation and domestic violence experience and attitude change among women in rural Ekiti State, South West Nigeria. Domestic violence against women in Nigeria remains a significant human rights and public health problem, with limited formal reporting and variable community tolerance. Adult education programmes with gender rights, legal literacy, and women's empowerment content have been proposed as community-level interventions for shifting domestic violence attitudes and improving women's knowledge of their legal rights. This study uses a mixed-method design, combining a survey of 230 women in Ado-Ekiti, Ikole, and Oye local government areas with case study analysis of five adult education programmes in the three areas. Domestic violence experience, attitude toward violence as a marital norm, and knowledge of protection mechanisms are assessed before and after programme participation. Difference-in-differences estimation is applied to six-month follow-up data. Findings reveal that programme participation is associated with significant positive shifts in attitudes toward domestic violence, improved knowledge of reporting mechanisms, and increased use of community support structures. Actual violence incidence reduction is less significant at six months, suggesting that attitude change precedes behavioural change over longer time horizons. Male partner inclusion in gender education activities is identified as a critical amplifier of impact. The study concludes that adult education with gender rights content is a meaningful, if not sufficient, domestic violence prevention tool in rural Ekiti State. It recommends couple-focused gender education modules to accelerate household-level change.

Keywords: domestic violence, adult education, gender rights, women empowerment, Ekiti State.