Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria: A Study of Root Causes and Mitigation Measures in Bayelsa State

Gender based violence; especially violence against the female gender has continued to pose a problem not only to local communities but to national governments and the international community. This study, Gender Based Violence in Nigeria: Exploring the Causes and Prevention in Bayelsa State, examines the causes of gender based violence and the measures put in place by the government to prevent it. What are the causes of gender based violence in Bayelsa State? The government of Bayelsa state have put in place several measures to combat and prevent gender based violence, including the domestication of the Child Rights Act and Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP). However, despite the domestication of these legislations the phenomenon persists. The remoteness of communities and the difficulty in accessing those makes response to cases of gender based violence difficult in the State. The level of awareness is another challenge to the prevention of violence against women and girls in the state. If Bayelsa state must get it right strategic response centers must be established not only in the state capital but in the rural areas where most cases of gender based violence are not reported. The study employed Quantitative and qualitative methods, and the theoretical framework for the study is the radical feminist theory