Executive Secretary of the African Women Lawyers Association, Marian Darlington, says fear of retaliation, doubts about prosecution and a lack of support prevent many victims of domestic abuse from reporting their experiences to the police.

She said some victims feared that reporting their abusers could expose them to further harm, particularly when they believed the perpetrators had the influence to evade justice.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show during a discussion on why people stay in abusive relationships, Ms Darlington said victims often remained silent because they feared the consequences of reporting the abuse and doubted whether the authorities could protect them.

Responding to a question about the difficulties victims face in reporting domestic abuse and securing prosecutions, she said the experience of Ama, a survivor whose story was discussed on the programme, illustrated these concerns.

“When you listen to Ama, you would understand that some of the difficulty was in her fear. ‘I'm afraid that if I tell somebody, I will be harmed,’” she said.

Ms Darlington explained that victims might also fear that an abuser’s connections or influence could prevent the police from taking effective action, leaving them vulnerable to further violence.

She described the concerns a victim might have:

“I'm afraid that if I go out and I tell the police, because of his influence, they will shield him, and I'll be back where I was harmed. That means it's going to be worse for me. So I think I'm doing myself a favour by not going to report.”

Beyond the fear of retaliation, Ms Darlington said victims could be discouraged from reporting abuse by a lack of confidence in the justice system and the likelihood of successful prosecutions.

She questioned how many cases of violence against women had resulted in convictions, arguing that many perpetrators were not prosecuted.

“When you actually go to report, what happens? Ask yourself all these things you've heard. You've heard abuses against women. How many of them have ended in successful convictions? Even if they are prosecuted, how many of them? But they are barely even prosecuted,” she said.

Institutional bias and victim-blaming

Ms Darlington said the treatment victims received could also be influenced by the prejudices and unconscious biases of those handling their cases.

According to her, some victims who sought help were questioned about their own behaviour instead of receiving the protection and support they needed.

She cited examples of responses victims might encounter, including being asked what they had done to provoke the abuse or being advised to change their behaviour to prevent further violence.

“You go, and then they'll say, ‘What did you do? If you act better, he will stop.’ Even if your husband is angry, speak to him gently, and he will not hit you,” she said.

She said such responses shifted responsibility from perpetrators to victims and reinforced the misconception that women could prevent abuse by behaving differently.

Ms Darlington also raised concerns about the approach some officers took when handling domestic abuse cases, arguing that an emphasis on preserving marriages could come at the expense of victims’ safety.

She said she had heard officers of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) say their role was not to break up families but to repair them.

“In fact, I have heard on multiple occasions where DOVSU officials have said that their role is not to break the family, but to fix the family system,” she said.

She questioned what such an approach meant for victims who needed immediate protection from violence.

“Do you know what that means? It means that they are not ready to make sure that somebody who is going through this domestic violence is actually protected because their goal is to fix the family system,” she said.

Lack of support compounds the problem

Ms Darlington identified the lack of practical and emotional support as another major barrier preventing victims from reporting abuse or leaving violent relationships.

She said people were often quick to urge victims to leave their partners or report them to the police but were less willing to help them deal with the consequences of taking those steps.

She argued that such attitudes placed additional pressure on victims without adequately addressing the responsibility of the perpetrators.

“The support is not there. Everybody screams, ‘Leave, report,’ but nobody is ready to support you when you actually need them,” she said.