Abstract

*Ajanuwa E. G, Ezemelu Davison and Leonard R. Theophilus

Men have been long known to be aggressive against their women folks in many African societies. In many cases they do so to demonstrate their superior masculinity which results to physical attack, abuse, neglect and relegation of their women to the background and only appreciated as an object for sex. Thus this study seeks to determine men’s attitude and knowledge towards gender based violence against women in the study area of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. This descriptive survey study adopted a multi- stage sampling technique in the selection of 200 men aged 25-55 years from an estimate of 1000 men that resides in the 7 compounds that participated in Amarata community, Yenagoa. With a structured questionnaire, the data gathered were analyzed using inferential and descriptive statistics. Results reveal that men in Amarata community encourage and practice gender based violence against their women. Thus, this study suggests a need for vigilance and education and desperate effort to prevent and put a stop to its continuity.