Sexual homicides in South Africa: A national cross-sectional epidemiological study of adult women and children.

Naeemah Abrahams,Shanaaz Mathews,Lorna J Martin,Carl Lombard,Rachel Jewkes,Soraya Seedat

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0186432

Naeemah Abrahams, Shanaaz Mathews + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186432

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Abstract

Sexual homicides of women and children are extreme forms of violence against women and children and are located within the broader context of gender inequality and social norms that condone sexual violence and gender based violence against women and children. The aim of this study is to describe the prevalence and characteristics of sexual homicide of women and children nationally in South Africa.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective national mortuary based study to identify all adult female homicides (18 years and older) and all child homicides (boys and girls < 18 years) in 2009 in a randomly selected, proportionate sample of mortuaries. Victim, perpetrator and crime data were collected in three processes: from the mortuary register, the autopsy report and from police with the identification of sexual homicides validated across the data collection processes.FindingsAmong the 2670 (95% CI: 2311–2979) adult women killed in 2009, 494 (95% CI: 406–574) were identified as sexual homicides which was 19.8% (95% CI: 17.6–22.0) of all adult female homicides and among 1277 (95% CI: 1091–1462) children killed in SA, sexual homicides were found in 104 (95% CI: 77–132) of the child homicides which was 8.7% (95% CI: 10.9–11.2%) of these murders. Strangulation was the most common cause of death for both children and adult females. A distinct age and sex pattern was found among children with only 1% boy child death identified as a sexual homicide and 92% of all the child sexual homicides were among girls. Strangulation was the most common manner of death among children (35.5%) and perpetrators were seldom strangers. However, no difference in the proportion of convictions between the sexual homicides and non-sexual homicides were found for both adult females and children.ConclusionRape homicide is not a rare event in South Africa, with one in five female homicides and nearly one in ten child homicides identified with an associated sexual crime. These high prevalences are amongst the highest levels reported in the literature with our study among the few reporting on the epidemiology of child sexual homicide. Reducing mortality is an important policy goal for South Africa and for the rest of the world and the prevention of female and child homicide is an important part of attaining this goal.

Highlights

Sexual homicide of women is a distinct form of gender-based violence that combines two of the most extreme forms of violence against women
Among the 2670 adult women killed in 2009, 494 were identified as sexual homicides which was 19.8% of all adult female homicides and among 1277 children killed in SA, sexual homicides were found in 104 of the child homicides which was 8.7% of these murders
Rape homicide is not a rare event in South Africa, with one in five female homicides and nearly one in ten child homicides identified with an associated sexual crime

Summary

Introduction

Sexual homicide of women is a distinct form of gender-based violence that combines two of the most extreme forms of violence against women. Whilst the Alaskan estimate was much higher than standard estimates from the USA, it was very similar to that reported in a South African study on female homicide where, in a national sample, 16.3% of all the female homicides in 1999 were identified as sexual homicides [5]. In these two settings it is not rare events. It was very similar to the proportion of sexual assault found in a 10-year study (2000–2009) of all female homicides seen in a Forensic Medical Laboratory (mortuary) in the Western Cape, South Africa which was 21.1% [6]

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