Violence against woman

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the nature, impact, and service delivery responses to violence against women in South Africa. Based on interviews with 1,000 survivors across nine provinces, the study analyzes economic, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, highlighting the normalization of domestic violence and the systemic failures of police, medical, and legal services in providing effective support and protection.

• The study found that 80% of women experienced emotional abuse, 76% experienced physical abuse, 63% experienced sexual abuse, and 62% experienced economic abuse, with 32% having experienced all four types.
• Violence against women is most frequently perpetrated by a spouse or partner, particularly for economic, emotional, and physical abuse. For sexual abuse, survivors were as likely to be abused by a stranger (35%) as by a partner or spouse (35%).
• The home is the most common location for all four types of abuse, indicating that violence has become normalized within domestic relationships.
• Psychological distress is widespread among survivors; the vast majority experienced anger, depression, changes in sleeping patterns, and flashbacks. Suicide attempts were reported by 18% of emotional and physical abuse survivors and 22% of sexual abuse survivors.
• Sexual abuse often results in severe health consequences: 19% of survivors contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD), 15% became pregnant, and 11% had a child as a result of the most serious incident.
• Medical assistance is underutilized, with only 42% of women seeking help after the most serious incident. The primary reason for delays in seeking treatment is a lack of transport.
• Police service delivery is characterized by a failure to inform women of their legal rights. Only 24% were told of their right to make a supplementary statement, and 32% were informed of their right to know if a perpetrator was arrested or released.
• Counselling services are accessed by 46% of survivors, with a higher reliance on state social workers (37%) than psychologists (23%) or lay counsellors (28%). Social workers are often perceived as focusing on administrative tasks like grants rather than therapeutic support.
• Family is the most common source of support, with 60% of survivors turning to family members. However, families often discourage reporting or leaving the abuser due to cultural beliefs or financial dependence.
• Legal assistance is rarely sought, with only 11% of survivors obtaining legal advice. Only 3% of the most serious cases discussed in the study ever reached a court of law.
• District surgeons' services are poorly utilized; less than 20% of rape survivors were examined by one. Furthermore, only 46% of women examined by a male district surgeon had another woman present, despite official guidelines.
• Perpetrators frequently show no remorse after an incident, often acting as if nothing happened. This is particularly prevalent in sexual and economic abuse, where nearly half of the perpetrators behaved this way.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Violence against woman. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/book-violence-against-women.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Violence against woman. n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/book-violence-against-women.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Violence against woman |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/book-violence-against-women.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndviolence, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Violence against woman}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/book-violence-against-women.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }