COMMUNITY

This project examined Domestic violence in Benin: A study of Ekosodin community in Benin City, Edo State. The objectives of the study are to identify the concept of domestic violence in Ekosodin, with a focus on understanding the scope and nature of the problem, examine the social, cultural, and economic factors that contribute to domestic violence in the area, and how they impact victims, perpetrators, and the community, assess the effectiveness of existing interventions, policies, and programs aimed at preventing and responding to domestic violence in Ekosodin, develop evidence-based recommendations for improving prevention and response strategies, and enhancing support services for survivors of domestic violence in the area, as well as find out the role of social workers in domestic violence in Ekosodin. The survey research method was used which consist of frequency, percentage means and a cross-abulation method was also used to test the structured hypothesis in the study. A total number of 400 questionnaires was distributed to women ranging from those who are single to those in relationships, to the married, separated, divorced and widowers. The statistical analysis was used with the goal of performing the empirical analysis and obtaining estimated coefficients, SPSS was used as statistical package in this study. From the findings, it was revealed that domestic violence is a widespread issue in Ekosodin that significantly impacts families and communities, often leading to long-term physical and psychological consequences. The study also, revealed that the nature of domestic violence in Ekosodin primarily involves physical abuse, with emotional and psychological abuse being less common. It was also revealed that patriarchal social norms and gender inequality significantly contributes to the persistence of domestic violence. It can be concluded that domestic violence is a widespread issue in Ekosodin that significantly impact families and communities, often leading to long-term physical and psychological consequences. Also, victims of domestic violence in Ekosodin often faces challenges in reporting the abuse dues to cultural and stigma and fear of social judgement. Also, the economic dependence on an abusive partner is one of the main reasons victims of domestic violence in Ekosodin are unable to leave their abusers. Substance abuse (e.g., alcohol or drugs) is often a major factor contributing to violent behavior in domestic relationships. And also the current legal frameworks in Ekosodin, such as the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP), are effectively enforced to address domestic violence. It can also be concluded that providing economic empowerment programs for women in Ekosodin, such as job training and microfinance initiatives, will help reduce their dependency on abusive partners. It was recommended that there is a need to enhance community education and awareness campaigns to address cultural stigma and encourage victims to report abuse. Public education should focus on challenging patriarchal norms and informing people about available support services. There is a need to promote economic empowerment for women through job training programs and microfinance initiatives. This will reduce women’s financial dependence on abusive partners and give them the means to leave violent situations. There is a need to strengthen law enforcement training to improve their response to domestic violence cases. Officers should be trained to handle such cases with sensitivity and ensure that victims feel safe when reporting abuse. And also there is a need to increase access to legal support services for victims of domestic violence. with sensitivity and ensure that victims feel safe when reporting abuse. And also there is a need to increase access to legal support services for victims of domestic violence.

The study investigated the elderly behavior towards drugs taking for their well-being in Sabongida-Ora community, Edo State, Nigeria. The objective of this study was to investigate and highlight the elderly behavior towards drugs taking for their well- being in Sabongida-Ora community. The research questions asked to achieve the objective of the study were as follows; what are the elderly behaviour towards drug taking in Sabongida-Ora community, What are the causes of the elderly behaviour towards drug taking in Sabongida-Ora community and What are the best method to improve the elderly behaviour towards drug taking in Sabongida-Ora community. The sample size was 294 participants chosen from the study population using the Proportionate Stratified Random Sampling, the research instrument utilized was the questionnaire. Conclusion drawn from the analysis of the data retrieved from the questionnaire indicates that the growing awareness of the drug use problems of the elderly clearly points up the fact that real understanding and indepth knowledge of the area is lacking. Although it is true that some elderly people are receiving too much of too many psychoactive medications, it is also true that many are not now using psychoactive drugs that could significantly help them. These and other issues need intensive study. It is crucial, then, that at this juncture, NIDA actively participate and assist in the development of new knowledge and innovative service delivery models in order to provide every assurance that the elderly population who are experiencing difficulties associated with their drug use can be accurately identified and provided quality care. Recommendations were made based on the findings and they include: Physicians must always review all medications used. Special attention must be paid to nonprescription drugs, herbs and supplements. Various criteria sets exist in the literature that identify medications to be avoided, or prescribed with caution.

This study aimed at assessing the role of CBOs in the development of rural communities in Akure-South Local Government, Ondo State. To enable the study to achieve its objectives, five (5) research questions were raised. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population of this study comprised of all the people living in all communities under Akure-South Local Government, Ondo State from which a total of two hundred (200) are selected to form the sample size for the study. A questionnaire titled “Questionnaire on the role of CBOs in the development of rural communities in Akure-South Local Government, Ondo State was the instrument used for data collection. The validity of the instrument was ascertained through the expert judgment approach while the test re-test method of estimating reliability was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. A reliability index of 0.87 was obtained using Person Product Moment Correlation Statistics. Collected data were analyzed using frequency count, simple percentage, and mean score standard. Findings from the data among others revealed that the various types of Community Based Organization in the area are Micro-finance institutions (MFIs), Village development committees (VDCs), Common interest groups (CIGs), Networks of CBOs, Landlord Association, Women Association, Youth Association, Farmers Organization and Trade union. Also, the Community Based Organization’s activities in the communities under study are only carried out on Weekly, Monthly and Yearly bases. The roles of Community Based Organization in the area under study are to Finance Projects, Liaison with Government, Promoting mutual understanding, Raising fund for project execution, planning of programmes, Economic empowerment, Cooperation with other organizations, protect the image of the community, trade union, support Security for Community and government projects, and harmonize and ensure unity among rural dwellers for effective Agricultural and rural growth. It was recommended that formal and specific organized steps should be taken by the government to develop the rural areas to curb the problem of rural underdevelopment.