Gender-based violence and femicide interventions-perspectives from community members and activists in South Africa

Globally, Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) remains a multifaceted social issue in the 21st century. Despite the ratification of international treaties and national laws, South Africa continues to have alarmingly high levels of GBVF, which were worsened during the Covid-19 national lockdown. The 2020 crime statistics reported that one in five South African women were victims of GBVF and South African Police Services (SAPS) data from 2015 to 2020 showed that seven women are killed daily nationwide. Despite copious studies on GBVF, the voices of local community members and activists as key collaborators in such research have been excluded. Therefore, this study used a mixed methods approach to determine the known interventions to decrease or eliminate GBVF and their effectiveness in seven communities across South Africa. The study included 191 participants in a survey for the quantitative aspect as well as a qualitative aspect of the study. Community members participated in gender-specific focus group discussions, while activists had a focus group of their own to obtain data on interventions. Our findings showed that three main forms of interventions existed in South Africa, viz. government-led campaigns that normally occurred during the 16 days of activism against violence towards women and children, community-led campaigns in response to GBVF cases reported in the media as well as NGO-led initiatives to support GBV survivors. However, these interventions were stifled by the social and cultural stigma against reporting GBVF, a lack of sustainability, decreased visibility, poor organisation and management as well as a lack of funding. Therefore, our findings show that while the South African government has made strides in its efforts to eliminate GBVF, there are no sustainable community level programming and interventions aimed at changing social norms and toxic masculinity that perpetuate GBVF. In conclusion, we recommend that efforts be made to implement intervention initiatives that go beyond creating awareness on GBVF, but partner with local NGO-led organizations to engage in programming and intervention that is aimed at changing social norms.

Perceptions of Why Women Stay in Physically Abusive Relationships: A Comparative Study of Chinese and U.S. College Students

In both China and the United States, public attitudes toward intimate partner violence (IPV) have shifted from viewing IPV as a tolerable, private matter to viewing it as a matter of public concern that should be dealt with as a crime. Empirical and comparative examinations of the perceptions of why women stay in physically abusive relationships are lacking. Answering this question calls for comprehensive, methodologically rigorous research. Using survey data collected from approximately 1,000 college students from two Chinese and two U.S. universities, this study empirically compared and contrasted factors that impact U.S. and Chinese students' perceptions as to why women remain in physically abusive relationships. Utilizing a theoretical framework of social constructionism, two common reasons were assessed: Women stay in physically abusive relationships because of learned helplessness and positive beliefs in the relationship/hope for the future. The results show that viewing IPV as a crime, gender, and beliefs of the causes of IPV were robust predictors of college students' perceptions toward why women stay in physically abusive relationships. U.S. college students were more likely to express sympathy and understanding toward why women remain in abusive relationships than Chinese students. Directions for future research and policy implications were discussed.

Evolution and Analysis of Cultural and Cognitive Factors Related With Domestic Violence Against Women

Despite the occurrence of encouraging political and social changes in the past few years, many beliefs about women's role in intimate relationships persist, influencing their response to domestic violence (DV). This study aims to analyze the influence of recent policies against DV in Portugal, concerning particularly intimate partner violence against women and their perceptions about the victimization process. Two samples of women ( n = 126 each) reporting an aggressive act allegedly perpetrated by the current or former male partner were interviewed with a hiatus of 5 years (before and after some most relevant policy updates). Results suggest a positive influence of the recent policies against DV. Many significant and encouraging changes were found in the more recent women sample (S2) relatively to the first sample (S1) regarding their information, awareness, perceptions, and attitudes toward DV. They seem to show less tolerance and endurance to DV, placing responsibility on the offender, as well as seem more empowered to report. In S2, there was a decrease in the acceptance of violent behaviors as normal and of reasons to explain violence; the fears, shame, and helplessness about DV; the elapsed time between the beginning of the abuse and its report; and the prevalence of more severe types of physical abuse. In S2, there was an increase on the acknowledgment of DV as a crime, the number of reports in cases without cohabitation, the report of psychological abuses, and the feeling of safety and assurance while reporting.

Exploring the Intersection Between Violence Against Women and Children from the Perspective of Parents Convicted of Child Homicide

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.

The context of violent disagreements between parents: a qualitative analysis from parents' reports

Background

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a prevalent public health problem that affects millions of families. Much of what is known about IPV comes from quantitative studies that often "count" acts of IPV without exploring in depth the circumstances surrounding the violence, thereby leaving critical questions unanswered; existing qualitative studies tend to focus solely on women’s perspectives. There is a dearth of dyadic qualitative research exploring the context of IPV in families with children, thus hindering the development of effective interventions for families experiencing IPV.

Methods

Seven heterosexual couples were recruited from a University-based family therapy clinic to participate in qualitative interviews. Couples were eligible if they had experienced severe verbal or any physical aggression during the past 4 months; had ≥ one child living in the household; were English-speaking; and were ≥ 18. Each individual was interviewed separately. Key topics explored included specific types of violence used by men and women; primary triggers and the context surrounding aggressive disagreements; degree to which the child(ren) were exposed; and perceived consequences for adults and children.

Results

All couples listed household responsibilities and parenting as key IPV triggers. Couples with infants reported that parenting disagreements were particularly heated, with women using aggression due to frustration about their partners’ lack of support. Couples also described substance use, wanting to be heard, and prior violence histories as triggers or as the background context for IPV episodes. Children were present during IPV and often intervened in conflicts involving severe violence. Parents’ perceptions of the effects of IPV on their children ranged from minimal to major emotional distress, with men describing more significant impact than women.

Conclusions

When describing acute triggers, parents most commonly mentioned that arguments were instigated by concerns about the division of household labor and parenting, a finding that may have significant implications for intervention development; this was particularly notable for parents of infants. Our findings emphasize the need for innovative programs that help parents cope with the stresses of raising a family as well as programs that directly address the consequences of IPV for children.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-1324) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

“The Only Solution There Is To Fight”

This qualitative study investigates the discourses that men used when talking about their experiences of attending a Duluth–cognitive-behavioral-therapy (CBT) domestic violence program in Cape Town, South Africa. Data were collected from 12 men who were recruited from three programs. A discourse analysis of interviews revealed that men drew upon various dominant discourses of masculinity that may reinforce the subordination of, control over, and violence against women. Our findings from this study contribute to the debate surrounding the Duluth model’s effectiveness in South Africa by questioning its successes in transforming violent masculinity.

Textual transformations of subjectivity in men’s talk of gender-based violence

This study examined how men accounted for their violent behaviours against their intimate female partners. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 men from three men’s groups in Johannesburg, South Africa. All the men self-reported that they had committed acts of intimate partner violence previously, and the majority were from low-income, township settings. Dissociations, justifications and confessions featured as the predominant accounting forms that worked to transform participants’ subject positions from the ‘violent abuser’ to the ‘legitimately violent partner’ and even to the ‘changed man’. Attention is accorded to how gender ideologies and heteropatriarchal discourses legitimating male violence against women were reinforced, yet were at times challenged within their talk and through rhetorical devices. In line with a poststructuralist reading, the study highlights the complexities underpinning men’s varied meanings of violence. On the one hand, it reveals the agentic shifting of identities. On the other, it highlights the social discourses that are embedded in men’s talk and therefore inscribed into male subjectivities.

Women's Experiences of An Intervention for Violent Men

South Africa has one of the highest rates of intimate partner violence in the world. However, very little research has been done in South Africa on the interventions that combat this violence. We investigated an intervention for domestically violent men through the experiences of six female partners during programme participation. Interpretative phenomenology was used to analyse women's experiences of the intervention programme. During programme participation men continued to dominate female partners by keeping information about domestic violence secret and accusing the woman of being the abuser. Women continued to experience psychological abuse and were ambivalent about the long-term effectiveness of the programme. The study highlights the importance of hearing women's voices when assessing programme effectiveness, predicting future abuse, and increasing the long-term efficacy of intervention programmes.

The Cycle of Violence and Abuse in Women Who Kill an Intimate Male Partner: A Biographical Profile

Numerous women experience domestic violence and abuse on a daily basis, and some retaliate and kill their intimate male partners. Our aims in this study were (1) to explore the biographical profile of women who have killed their intimate male partners, and (2) to compare women who used a third party in the murders with those women who did not. Biographical questionnaires were completed by 60 women incarcerated in five prisons in South Africa. The results suggest that various biographical factors may influence a woman's decision to murder her partner. This study adds to the body of knowledge on intimate partner violence in the South African context, and it is hoped that it will lead to early identification programmes of women at risk of killing their intimate male partners.

`If the Man Says you Must Sit, Then you Must Sit': The Relational Construction of Woman Abuse: Gender, Subjectivity and Violence

Woman abuse and other forms of gender-based violence are key obstacles to gender equity across the globe. Researchers have examined the problem of woman abuse from a multitude of perspectives. However, little research has focused specifically on both partners' constructions of their relationships. This article is based upon a study that examined how women and men in intimate heterosexual relationships attribute meaning to the man's perpetration of violence against a woman partner. Narrative interviews were conducted with women and men who constituted 15 heterosexual couples. In this study participants' narratives of self, other, relationship and violence included ambiguous constructions of victims and perpetrators; constructions of violent relationships as cyclical in nature; constructions of woman abuse as a problem of the self; narrations of violence as a mutual endeavour and all-encompassing narratives of power and control. This study provided insight into the subjective, relational and gendered dynamics of abusive relationships, illustrated the significance of the context in shaping the ways in which experiences are narrated, and showed the value of poststructuralist theorizing to feminist psychology.

Mental health problems in women attending district-level services in South Africa

Various sociodemographic and clinical variables pertaining to women using district-level clinical psychology services in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa were examined. During the year 2004, a total of 422 women accessed this service. Over one-third had relationship problems, 21% depression, and 14% suicidal behaviour. Nearly half the women reported significant financial problems. Of the 174 married (or cohabiting) women, 94.8% experienced relationship problems, 56.9% reported substance-abusing partners, and 48.3% reported violent partners, and 51.1% perceived their partners as disengaged while 37% viewed them as oppressive. Clinician estimates revealed notably low self-esteem in 65% of the women. We conclude that mental health services and training programmes need to become more cognisant of gender issues to develop gender-sensitive interventions.