International Journal of Sub-Saharan African Research (IJSSAR)

Background: Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a persistent human rights and public health challenge despite sustained awareness campaigns by governments, media organisations, and non-governmental organisations. The continued prevalence of GBV raises concerns about the extent to which media campaigns influence victims' behavioural responses.
Objective: This study examined women's exposure and response to Dream 92.5 FM Enugu gender-based violence campaign messages in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria.
Method: The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered to 400 women selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure. The sample size was determined using Taro Yamane's formula. Stratified random sampling was employed to categorise respondents by age and socio-economic status, purposive sampling was used to identify women with experiences of gender-based violence, and simple random sampling was applied to select listeners of Dream 92.5 FM. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: The findings revealed high exposure to Dream 92.5 FM's GBV campaign messages and positive perceptions of their awareness-raising effectiveness. However, increased awareness did not translate into corresponding reporting or help-seeking behaviour. Fear of stigmatisation, victim-blaming, and other entrenched socio-cultural norms emerged as the major barriers preventing women from acting on the campaign messages.
Conclusion: While Dream 92.5 FM's GBV campaign effectively enhanced awareness, its behavioural impact was constrained by prevailing socio-cultural barriers. Media campaigns should therefore be complemented with community-based interventions that reduce stigma, challenge harmful social norms, strengthen survivor support systems, and promote confidence in reporting mechanisms.
Unique Contribution: The study advances media effects and health communication scholarship by demonstrating that message exposure alone is insufficient to drive behavioural change in GBV prevention. It highlights the mediating role of socio-cultural barriers in shaping women's responses to radio campaign messages and provides evidence for integrating behaviour change communication with community-level social norm interventions to improve the effectiveness of GBV campaigns.