Intimate partner and domestic violence in South Africa

Abstract

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines domestic violence as the deliberate use of force, power and threats against a person or group of people to bring about death or physical injury. This abusive behavior is used to gain or maintain control over the other intimate partner or family member. It usually results in physical, psychological, emotional sexual or economic harm. Most perpetrators are spouses and close family members. It cuts across different spheres of the society and can occur in couples; heterosexual, or homosexual and also between parents and children (child abuse). Research reported that out of 1394 men that partook in the 2016 representative sample of the South African Demographic and Health Survey, 50% of them were perpetrators of domestic violence in their own homes. Sadly, domestic violence has caused a lot of havoc in several families and life of individuals, these range from psychological trauma, anxiety, use of drugs, alcohol and other harmful substances, physical pain, emotional trauma, homelessness, economic crisis, to low self-esteem and death amongst other effects. The aim of our research is to understand the contributing factors of domestic violence in South Africa and to also add to the growing body of knowledge of domestic violence in the country and the region. Deducing from this conclusion, we can recommend that government should focus more on girl child education till tertiary level and women empowerment in terms of job creation to help reduce the occurrence of domestic violence in our society. Population scientists Tomiwa Fapohunda and Phathutshedzo Masiagwala and Professor demographer Nancy Stiegler from the University of Western Cape discuss in this interview the prevalence, population group, age, occupation, marital status, education attainment of the victims of domestic violence, with a view to establish factors that causes domestic violence in South-Africa.