WITH their fairy-tale  weddings, larger-than-life ambiance and decor, picture perfect love stories and much more, celebrities could effortlessly make anyone fall in love and believe in the ‘happy ending’ notion.

But as recent events have proven, things aren’t as rosy as they look, especially intimate relationships across industries; from the media to the entertainment and movie industry where spousal abuse, also known as domestic violence, has turned out to be so rife…and real. Domestic violence certainly knows no class.

Though statistics aren’t sufficiently available due to stigma and a deep-seated culture of silence attached to domestic violence, various studies say 25% of women in Nigeria go through an ordeal of domestic violence and every fourth Nigerian woman suffers domestic violence in her lifetime.

Described as a pattern of behaviour which involves   violence by one person against another in a domestic setting, such as in marriage or cohabitation, domestic violence is often used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner and can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions.

Culture of silence

For factors ranging from economic dependence to the desperate need to keep their marriages, the culture of silence still surrounding this most widespread of human rights issues, has in no little way contributed over the years to its increase—leading to death in most cases like that of late banker Titilayo Arowolo—in spite of legislations put in place to deter perpetrators.

It is as if to shatter this traditional culture of silence that more and more celebrities are refusing to be quiet or pretentious about their experiences with their partners—without thinking twice about their fairy-tale weddings.

Tiwa Savage

One of the most shocking recent celebrity cases which proved that domestic violence knows no class was that of Mavin First Lady, Tiwa Savage, an internationally-acclaimed music goddess.

Barely two years into her marriage with Tunji Balogun, aka Tee Billz, Savage couldn’t help but spill the beans, revealing, among other things, how Tunji had been hitting her before and even after their marriage, at the slightest provocation.

Tonto Dike

Nollywood star, Tonto Dike, also recently revealed how she suffered domestic violence while with her estranged husband, Churchill.

“Domestic violence is real. How I lived to suffer it and go through it over and over again, I do not understand. A lot of people have blamed me. I stayed back in my marriage, not because of my child, but because I loved my husband with all of my heart,” she said.

The actress also shared photos and even a video of herself after she was physically abused by her ex husband.

Other celebrities like Kate Henshaw, Monalisa Chinda, Vivian Ejike, Toke Makinwa have also shared their own horrible experiences, leaving one wondering if their individual astonishing beauty and impeccable personality could not save them from the incessant beatings of the same men that vowed to love and cuddle them for life.

Stemming the tide

Though it isn’t exactly clear why celebrities are now taking a stand against the age-long culture of silence, there is however no doubts that this will gradually help stem the tide and encourage other women to speak up and report cases of violence if the menace must be nipped in the bud. Although, this still does not dismiss the need for stiffer penalties as clamoured in recent times.

Like Adaobi Egboka, a legal practitioner who is Executive Programmes Director at Legal Defence and Assistance Project, LEDAP, a non-profit organisation which delivers pro bono legal services to abused women told Woman’s Own, “the limitation has been the lack of commitment from   women. That’s why the menace is on the increase. They lack the commitment and will to report abuse and to pull through.