“I Stayed, Because… I Needed to Have a Plan”: Nigerian Migrant Women’s Experiences of Gender‐Based Violence, Resilience and Resistance

“I Stayed, Because… I Needed to Have a Plan”: Nigerian Migrant Women’s Experiences of Gender‐Based Violence, Resilience and Resistance

ABSTRACT

This article critiques gendered, cultural and racial stereotypes of Nigerian migrant women as passive victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the United Kingdom. Based on 14 semi-structured interviews, it reveals how spouse visa restrictions limit access to welfare and constrain women’s ability to escape abuse. Despite these structural barriers, the women demonstrate agency and resilience, challenging dominant discourses. The article calls for a more gender-sensitive policy framework in the United Kingdom that considers both individual circumstances and systemic factors shaping migrant women’s experiences of and responses to IPV.