Abstract
Violence against women and violence against children are distinct research fields. Quantitative studies have demonstrated their intersection, but qualitative data provides an opportunity for a comprehensive understanding of this interface. Interviews with 22 parents/caregivers convicted of child homicide provided an opportunity to explore the context of violent experiences in their lives including their use of violence and their experiences of it in their intimate and parenting relationships. Using a feminist framework, we found that patriarchal family structures, gender and power dynamics contribute to the use of violence. Revenge child homicide was common with distinct gendered differences. This study calls for closer collaboration between the two fields to assist in developing prevention interventions to address and eradicate both forms of violence.
Highlights
Violence against women and violence against children are public health concerns, with devastating consequences (Butchart and Mikton 2014)
Since the South African national child homicide study found a parent was the perpetrator in the majority of cases (Abrahams et al 2016); this study focuses on parents
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first South African qualitative study exploring the intersection between violence against women and children from the perspective of parents convicted of child homicide
Summary
Violence against women and violence against children are public health concerns, with devastating consequences (Butchart and Mikton 2014). Global data for violence against women, from 141 studies in 81 countries found 30% of women, 15 years and over, experienced Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) (Devries et al 2013). Hillis et al (2016) collected data from 112 studies in 96 countries, estimating that the number of children, 2–17 years, exposed to emotional, physical or sexual violence in 2015 exceeded one billion. It has been acknowledged that violence against women and children overlap in the same household, and it is imperative to understand and address potential intersections for prevention work (Guedes et al 2016). The authors found patriarchal family structures created an environment that normalized violence and thereby reinforced women and children’s subordination. Women’s rights activists and researchers have long noted that patriarchal systems shape social expectations in order to uphold male superiority over women (Boonzaier and de la Rey 2004)
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