The role of patriarchy and its influences on domestic violence against females and children in Africa: An indigenous perspective

African people do not have a common name for domestic violence against females and children because the term ‘domestic violence’ has colonial connotations. Before colonialism, Swahili referred to domestic violence as ‘’, which means violent or aggressive behaviour in the home, most commonly involving the violent abuse of a spouse or partner. Despite this, domestic violence against females and children in Africa is prevalent, and this is because African societies are patriarchal and still look at the role identification of males, females and children differently. The patriarchal societies used harmful practices from time immemorial, as depicted by gender roles, customs and language use. The proverbs and idioms defended as cultural traditions predispose females and children to domestic violence. In an attempt to deal with this problem, mechanisms such as the introduction of human rights and awareness were put in place to address gender equity to address violence against females and children. However, to date in Africa, domestic violence against females and children remains a public health care concern that needs urgent health care interventions. Although patriarchal, African societies had their indigenous measures to deal with violence against females and children; however, these are not well-documented in the literature. This information is needed to educate health care practitioners about traditional indigenous measures that can be utilised to prevent and promote holistic care among African females and children experiencing domestic violence.