VALIDATING THE EVIDENCE OF VIOLENCE IN PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS WITH REGARD TO XHOSA AFRICAN WOMEN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15270/50-2-397Abstract
This article reports on how African women understand the forms and meaning of violence in partner relationships. The findings suggest that many African women experience physical, emotional and economic abuse. Some of the reasons for abuse which emerged include a patriarchal system, alcohol abuse, infidelity and failure to support children financially. The influence of Xhosa African practices on violent partner relationships was explored. The study indicates a need for ethnically sensitive interdisciplinary programmes for social service practitioners, and an effective, accessible legal system for rural women to reduce incidences of abuse.Downloads
References
ARTZ, L. 1999. Shelter in the Southern Cape: gender violence undermines development. Agenda, 55(42):1-15.
BABBIE, E. 2007. Practice of social work research (11th ed). Belmont: Thompson.
BELL, C.C. & MATIS, J. 2000. The importance of cultural competence in ministering to African American victims of domestic violence. Violence Against Women, (6):515-532.
BENNETT, T.W. 2004. Customary Law in South Africa. Journal of Customary Law, (141):1-20.
BUDLENDER, D. 2002. Women and men in South Africa: five years on statistics South Africa, figure 3. South Africa: Institute for security Studies.
BUSIA, S.M. & ABENA, A.P.A. 1993. Theorizing black feminisms: the visionary pragmatism of black women. London & New York: Routledge.
CAMERER, R. & KOTZE, T. 1998. Special report on victim empowerment in South Africa: victim empowerment programme (VEP). South Africa: Institute for Security Studies and Department of Welfare.
CAMPBELL, J.C. 1998. Empowering survivors of abuse: health care for battered women and their children. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
CHRISTOFIDES, N., WEBSTER, N., JEWKES, R., PENN-KEKANA, L., MARTIN, L., ABRAHAMS, N. & KIM, J. 2003. The state of sexual assault services: findings from a situation analysis of services in South Africa. The South African Gender-based Violence and Health Initiative.
CLARKE, C.L. 2006. The political ethics of social work: towards welfare citizenship. Basingstoke: MacMillan.
CLOETE, M.G.T. & NAUDE, C.M.B. 1991. Criminology: only study guide for KRM302-E (Fundamental criminology). Pretoria: University of South Africa.
COLLINS, P.H. 2000. Black feminist thought: knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment (2nd ed). New York: Routledge.
DE VOS, A.S. (ed), STRYDOM, H., FOUCHÉ, C.B. & DELPORT, C.S.L. 2005. Research at grass roots – for the social sciences and human services profession (3rd ed). Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
DUNKLE, K., JEWKES, R., BROWN, H.C., GRAY, G.E. & McINTYRE, J. 2003. Prevalence of gender-based violence among women attending antenatal clinics in Soweto. Paper presented at the 1st South African Gender-based Violence and Health Conference, 17-19 April 2002, Muldersdrift.
DUTTON, D. 2006. Rethinking domestic violence. Canada: UBC Press.
FALALO, T. 2005. The power of African cultures. London: Rochester Press.
FORTUNE, M.M. & ENGER, C.G. 2005. Violence against women and the role of religion. Applied Research Forum. National Electronic Network on Violence Against Women. USA: National Resource Centre on Domestic Violence.
FINEMAN, M.A. & MYKITIUK, R. 1994. The public nature of private violence: the discovery of domestic abuse. New York: Routledge.
FRANCIS, V. 2000. A rape investigation in the Western Cape. A study of the treatment of rape victims at the three police stations in the Cape Flats. Bureau of Justice Assistance.
FRANKLIN, C. & JORDAN, C. 1995. Qualitative assessment: a methodological review. Families in Society. The Journal of Contemporary Human Services, (77):281-290.
GIDDENS, A. 2006. Sociology (5th ed). USA: Polity Press.
HESTER, M., PEARSON, C., HAEWIN, N. & ABRAHAMS, H. 2007. Making an impact: children and domestic violence (2nd ed). London: Kingsley Publishers.
HEMSTREET, C. & VERMEULEN, K. 2007. Working towards the promotion of positive forms of discipline and the abolition of corporal punishment to ensure the realization of children’s rights to dignity and physical integrity. Children’s Rights Project, Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape. Article 19, Volume 3- Number 3, December 2007.
HUMAN RIGHT’S WATCH. 2001. Scared at school: sexual violence against girls in South African schools. South Africa: Human Rights Watch.
IMBROGNO, A. & IMBROGNO, S. 2000. Mediation in court cases of domestic violence. Families in Society, 81(4):392-401.
JEWKES, R., PENN-KEKANA, L., LEVIN, J., RATSAKA, M. & SCHRIEBER, M. 1999. He must give me money, he mustn’t beat me. Violence against women in three South African Provinces. CERSA (Women’s Health) Medical Research Council.
JOHNSON-LATHAM, G. 2005. Patriarchal violence-an attack on human security: a broad survey of measures to combat patriarchal violence and oppression, particularly acts committed in the name of honour directed at women, homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender persons. Sweden: EO-Print.
KARSTEN, L. & ILLA, H. 2005. Ubuntu as a key African management concept: contextual background and practical insights for knowledge application. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 7(20):1-12
KIM, J. 2000. Women enjoy punishment: attitudes and experiences of gender based violence among PHC nurses in rural South Africa. South Africa: Human Rights Study Centre.
KRUGER, W. 2008. Research methodology. Mitchell: Oxford University Press.
KUNFAA, E.Y., DOGBE, B., MacKAY, C. & MARSHALL, R. 2002. Empty Pockets. In: NARAYAN, D. & PETESCH, P. (eds) Voices of the poor: from many lands. Washington DC: Oxford University Press and the World Bank.
LABUSCHAGNE, J.M.T. 1990. Geloof in toorkuns: ’n morele dilemma vir die strafreg? South African Journal of Criminal Justice, 3(3):246-266.
LEIN, L., JACQUET, S., LEWIS, C., COLE, P. & WILLIAMS, B. 2001. With the best intentions: family violence option and abused women’s needs. Violence Against Women, (7):193-210.
LIVINGSTONE, D.J. 2002. Healing violent men: a model for Christian communities. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
LONDT, M.P. 2004. Management of domestic violence: risk-based assessment and intervention guidelines with perpetrators of intimate violence. Bellville, South Africa: University of the Western Cape. (Published PhD Dissertation)
MARTIN, L.J. 2001. Report: forensic examination model in South Africa. Geneva: WHO.
MASUKU, S. 2007. South Africa: world crime capital? Nedbank ISS Crime Index 5. South African: Institute for Security Studies, Pretoria.
MATAURE, P., McFARLAND, W., FRITZ, K., KIM, A., WOELK, G., RAY, S. & RUTHERFORD, G. 2002. Alcohol use and high-risk sexual behaviour among adolescents and young adults in Harare, Zimbabwe. Aids and Behaviour, 6(3):211-219.
MATHEWS, S. & ABRAHAMS, N. 2001. Combining stories with numbers: an analysis of the impact of Domestic Violence Act (No. 116 of 1998) on women. Cape Town, South Africa: The Gender Advocacy Programme and the Medical Research Council (Gender and Health Research Group) November 2001.
McCUE, M.L. 2008. Domestic violence (2nd ed). California: ABC-CLIO, Inc.
MILNE, A.L. 2004. Mediation and domestic abuse. In: FORBERG, J., MILNE, A.L & SALEM, P. (eds) Divorce and family mediation: models, techniques and applications. London: The Guildford Press, 283-303.
MNDENDE, N. 2006. “A genderless faith”. Religion and faith. Mail & Guardian, April, 13-20.
MOFFIT, T., ROBINS, R. & CASPI, A. 2001. A couple analysis of partner abuse with implications for abuse prevention policy. Criminology & Public Policy, (1):5-36.
MOROJELE, N.K., FLISHER, A.J., MULLER, M., ZIERVOGEL, C.F., REDDY, P. & MOSER, C. 1991. Gender planning in the third world: meeting practical and strategic needs. In: GRANT, R. & NEWLAND, K. (eds) Gender and international relations. Bloomington: University of Indiana Press.
MOSER, C.O.N. & CLARK, F.C. 2001. Victims, perpetrators or actors? Gender, armed conflict and political violence. London: Zed Books Ltd.
MOUTON, J. & MARAIS, H.C. 1990. Basic concepts in the methodology of the social science. Pretoria: UNISA.
MQEKE, R.B. 2003. Customary law. Customary Law and the New Millennium, (21):1-12.
MSHUNQANE, M. 2007. Domestic violence under indigenous law – any remedies? News & Views for Magistrates. Law, Race & Gender, (2):1-2.
MURRAY, C. 1994. Gender and the new South African legal order. South Africa: Juta & Co. Ltd.
NICHOLAS, L. 2008. Introduction to Psychology. Cape Town: UCT Press.
NUSSBAUM, B. 2003. Ubuntu and business, reflections and questions. World Business Academy, 3(17):1-16.
OJACOR, O. 2005. The concept of sin and evil and its removal in African thought system. In: African Christian Studies, Journal of Theology of the Catholic Higher Institute of Eastern Africa: Nairobi: 18(2). [Online] Available: http://civilizationoflove.org/¬ojacor/htm1. [Accessed: 13/10/2008].
PARENZEE, P., ARTZ, L. & MOULT, K. 2001. Monitoring the implementation of The Domestic Violence Act. South Africa: Institute for Criminology, University of Cape Town.
PARENZEE, P. & SMYTHE, D. 2003. Domestic violence & development: looking at the farming context. South Africa: Institute for Criminology, UCT.
PAYMAR, M. 2000. Violence no more: helping men end domestic abuse (2nd rev ed). Canada: Hunter House.
PONTON, G.E. 2002. Abused women’s experiences of interventions provided and referrals initiated by the National Institute for Crime prevention and Rehabilitation of Offenders Women’s Support Centre: an exploratory study. Bellville, South Africa: Department of Psychology, University of the Western Cape. (Mini-thesis in Masters of Psychology)
RUBIN, H.J. & RUBIN, J.S. 1995. Qualitative interviewing, the act of hearing data. London: Sage Publications.
SUFFLA, S., SEEDAT, M. & NASCIMENTO, A. 2001. Report: evaluation of medico-legal services in Gauteng implications for the development of best practices in the after-care of rape survivors. UNISA Institute for Social and Health Sciences and Centre for Peace Action.
TREVETHICK, P. 2000. Social work skills: a practice handbook. Buckingham: Open Book Press.
TURNER, A., NDIRA, T., AKELLO, O. & BUKARE, T. 2003. Strengthening traditional and local justice for women: experiences of women seeking domestic violence protection from local and traditional courts. Uganda: Mifumi Project.
VETTEN, L. 2005. Addressing domestic violence in South Africa: reflections on strategy and practice. South Africa: Centre for the Study and Reconciliation.
VISSER, M. (ed). 2007. Contextualising Community Psychology. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
VUNDULE, C., JEWKES, R., MAFORAH, E. & JORDAN, E. 2001. Risk factors for teenage pregnancy amongst African adolescents in metropolitan Cape Town: a case-control study. South African Medical Journal, (91):73-80.
WALKER, L. 2000. The battered woman syndrome (2nd ed). New York: Springer.
WOJCICKI, J.M. 2001. An acceptance of violence against sex workers and women who exchange sex for money: survey results from Gauteng Province and implication for HIV prevention. Aids Bulletin, (8):8-20.
ZASTROW, C. 2004. Introduction to social work and social welfare: empowering people (8th ed). USA: Thomson, Brooke/Cole.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This journal is an open access journal, and the authors and journal should be properly acknowledged when works are cited.
Authors may use the publishers version for teaching purposes, in books, and with conferences.
The following license applies:
Attribution CC BY-4.0
This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation.
Articles as a whole may not be re-published with another journal.
