"Women's socio-economic power also protected them from male violence, and the co-researcher continued the story of her grandmother by reflecting on how much this has changed.
Traditionally, men do not beat their wives, because of the value attached to women. If any man was seen or reported to have beaten his wife, he would immediately be stripped of his title, and if he was not a man with title, he would be punished. This had the effect of putting a check on domestic violence or violence against women. However, with the growing destruction of our traditional system by the colonial rule, the growing rate of civilization or development, most of our cultural values have been eroded and we are now witnessing more violence by men on women."
Umuada: A Sociopolitical Institution for Peacebuilding and Conflict Management in Nigeria (Chapter title) by Joy Onyesoh