M.A. / NISAA was established in 1994. It is one of the first organisations dealing with women abuse in Lenasia and the surrounding areas. The organisation has great potential in becoming a recognised institution in South Africa. Women who are in distress, have no where to go and are left abandoned have a shelter with NISAA. In the short period of its existence NISAA has strived hard to uplift and assist women. Counselling and treatment is offered on a daily basis by professionals and trained personnel. However, many needs still have to be met and research has shown us that not nearly enough is being done for those who are being abused, be it wife abuse or child abuse. The processs of research is presented in five stages and covers, the problem statement, the literature survey, research methodology, analysis, conclusions and recommendation. The survey of the literature is very important in this study. South Africa has become epitomised by a rapidly changing social order, swiftly unfolding political development and an unprecedented fluidity in the thinking of future opinions. The attitudes and perceptions of domestic violence and violence in general needs to be changed. The chapter on research methodology stresses the importance of feminist organisations. Feminist organisations' role is vital in any study on woman abuse, as research on woman abuse began with these organisations. Methodology in this study also focuses on the qualitative nature of battering, research and the relevant themes surrounding battering. These themes include woman abuse, intervention. treatment and shelters. Other important aspects discussed is coding of data, research design, sampling and interviewing procedures. The analysis and results shows that NISAA has made a significant contribution to battering of women. From the results of this study, NISAA has become an important structure and service in the South African society. The services NISAA should expand on include, a safe and positive crisis help, as well as promoting the rights of all victims. Important to the growth of NISAA is alleviating the funding problem. Other relevant findings discussed are attitudes and perceptions of women abuse and services that encourage and discourage the use of NISAA. These findings compliments. Gishen's (1993) study on the Power Organisation. Recommendations made to NISAA are based on the findings of this research. This research hopefully will expose abuse, help women to achieve recognition in its fight against abuse and in its quest for the empowerment of women. The research was also intended as an educative process. This study entails the physical and psychological abuse of women which has become a global problem. The problem needs to be addressed, understood, analysed and treated. An effective solution must be found.

M.Cur. / South Africa is called the Rainbow Nation with a variety of cultures and ethnic groups. The population currently is estimated at over 40 million, of whom 73% are women and children (Government Gazette, 1997:11). According to the Government Gazette ( 1997: 11) major disparities and inequalities exist between the different population groups, with reference to their socio-economic position. This inevitably led to major problems such as poverty and violence. One of these problems of violence seems to be domestic violence as stated by the South African Police Service (1998 : 10). They confirmed that the number of incidents of domestic violence in which especially women, children and the elderly are the victims, appear to be continually on the increase in South Africa. The South African Police Service (1998: 1) states that domestic violence is a serious crime against society, which can lead to repeated victimisation and repeated offending and sometimes eventually spirals into fatality. Domestic violence became a topic of interest to the researcher because of the number of women that came under her attention while working in the community services. Evaluation of the service delivery and understanding of domestic violence by community members and health care workers showed poor results with some still clinging to myths coming from cultural beliefs. According to Hague and Wilson (2000 : 157) the most common explanation for domestic violence continues to be a lack of compliance by the wife, coupled with historically long-lived ideas about the breadwinner's rightful authority. The goal of this study was to explore and describe the lived experience of abused women subjected to domestic violence and to describe guidelines for psychiatric nurse practitioners to support abused women who are subjected to domestic violence, in facilitating their mental health and optimising their ability to terminate the abusive situation. In conducting this research the framework of the Theory for Health Promotion in Nursing (Rand Afrikaans University, 2000) were used, which dealt with the internal and external world experience of the abused women. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was used specific to domestic violence for this study. In-depth, semi-structured phenomenological interviews were conducted with abused women subjected to domestic violence who met the sample criteria. To ensure trustworthiness, the researcher made use ofGuba's (DeVos, 1998: 348-350) model of trustworthiness. Data analysis was done according to Tesch's (DeVos, 1998 : 343 -352) method. The results of this study showed that abused women who are subjected to domestic violence suffer a great deal of trauma and degrading due to physical or mental abuse of a loved one. Their trauma was evident by the experience of negative psychological dynamics that contributed to the shattering of the self. The degrading of the person eventually leads to the shattering of other relations and at the end to the realisation that they are victims.

Lifetime sexual and physical victimization history was examined within a shelter sample (N = 30) and outpatient sample (N = 13) of battered women. Participants reported complex and varied lifetime victimization histories with 71% of women reporting a childhood experience of physical abuse and 53% of women reporting a childhood experience of sexual abuse. Lifetime victimization histories were then examined as predictors of functioning within three domains: general psychological distress, intrapersonal functioning, and interpersonal functioning. General psychological distress was an important measure of psychological adaptation which was specifically linked to the severity of more recent victimization, including current sexual abuse and interim physical abuse. Difficulties with identity development, low self-worth, and (at the trend level) difficulties with intimacy and symptoms of borderline personality received some Support as long-term outcomes following childhood abuse, specifically experiences of chronic childhood physical abuse.These findings suggest that the type of outcome may be differentially associated with the type, onset, and combination of abuse experiences. / Ph. D.

Religious organizations are in a unique position to assist battered women. The purpose of this study was to survey counselor/advocates who work at battered women's shelters to determine what advice they have to give to religious organizations to improve their effectiveness in helping battered women. The sample for this study consisted of 91 counselor/advocates from 20 battered women's shelters in Virginia. A questionnaire was designed to determine the counselor/advocates' opinions about their clients' interactions with religious organizations as to how helpful, or not helpful, these organizations have been. The participants identified a number of ways that religious organizations could better meet the needs of battered women. First, religious leaders can become better informed about the dynamics of wife battering so that their attempts to help will not further endanger victims. Second, leaders can be more supportive of battered women by taking a more public stand against wife battering and by creating a more accepting, healing environment within their faith community. Next, those who are not trained to counsel individuals involved in wife battering need to learn to refer them to community agencies that are better prepared to help victims and their batterers. Finally, for battered women both inside and outside their faith communities, leaders can work with shelters to provide financial and other resources to assist these women as they search for ways to live in a violence free home environment. / Master of Science

Thesis (M Social Work)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Intimate partner violence is world wide and in South Africa an increasing social problem that leads to life-threatening history of injuries and psychosocial problems. Intimate partner violence is a global phenomenon prevalent in all socio-economic, race, religion, cultural and geographical boundaries. Although women with a lack or low income is more at risk of intimate partner violence and this reinforces their dependency of the intimate partner violence relationship. The largest percentage of South Africa’s poor population lives in rural areas that make them more vulnerable for social problems because of their lack of adequate resources. Women in rural areas involved with intimate partner violence are physically isolated from a supportive social network and must travel far distances to gain access to formal support resources. The goal of the study is to gain an understanding of the support needs of women in rural areas that are involved in intimate partner violence from an ecological perspective. To achieve this goal, the objectives are: to explain the nature, extent and origin of intimate partner violence as a social problem; to discuss the relevance of the ecological perspective as a theoretical framework regarding the analyses of intimate partner violence; to describe the support needs of women in rural areas that is involved in intimate partner violence; to investigate the experience of women in rural areas that is involved in intimate partner violence regarding the availability of support; and to offer recommendations regarding the promotion of the support needs for women in rural areas that is expose to intimate partner violence. Combinations of a quantitative and qualitative research approach were used in the study. The study further assumed an exploratory and descriptive research design due to the lack of information on support that is available to women in rural areas that are involved in intimate partner violence. A purposive sampling method was used to select the participants. Data was gathered by means of a semi-structured questionnaire, which was administered during 20 individual interviews. This allowed for a holistic view of the participants beliefs about, or perceptions of the topic. The design of the questionnaire was based on the information obtained from the literature review. The findings of the empirical investigation mainly confirmed the findings of the literature study that those women in rural areas that are involved in intimate partner violence support needs, from multiple levels of the ecological perspective. This support entails both informal and formal support resources which vary from concrete, informational to emotional support in order to cope with stressful life situations. The most important recommendations resulting from the study indicate that social workers must use an ecological approach during service rendered to women in rural areas that are involved in intimate partner violence. This approach can be used to identify and strengthen support resources on a micro, meso, exo and macro system level. The study further indicate that social workers must collaborate with different government sectors such as health care, police and law enforcement in order to create a multi professional team that focus on the social functioning of families and the community as a entity. Social workers that render intervention services to women in rural areas that are exposed to intimate partner violence should focus on all levels of social work intervention. The recommendation emphasises the importance of women and the communities’ awareness regarding intimate partner violence to promote women independency and to promote and facilitate support groups. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Intiemepaargeweld is wêreldwyd asook in Suid-Afrika ‘n toenemende sosiale probleem wat ‘n geskiedenis van ernstige beserings en psigososiale probleme vir vroue tot gevolg het. Die universele gebeurtenisse van intiemepaargeweld vind plaas binne alle sosio-ekonomiese, ras-, geloofs-, kulturele en geografiese grense. Alhoewel vroue met gebrekkige of lae inkomste hulle ‘n groter risiko vir intiemepaargeweld maak, versterk dit ook vroue se afhanklikheid van die intiemepaargeweldverhouding. Die meerderheid van Suid-Afrika se arm populasie woon in landelike gebiede, wat hulle meer kwesbaar maak vir maatskaplike probleme weens die gebrek aan genoegsame hulpbronne. Vroue in landelike gebiede wat by intiemepaargeweld betrokke is, is fisies geïsoleerd van ‘n ondersteunende sosiale netwerk en moet ver afstande reis om toegang tot formele ondersteuningshulpbronne te kry. Die doel van hierdie studie is om met behulp van die ekologiese perspektief die behoefte aan ondersteuning van vroue wat by intiemepaargeweld betrokke is, beter te verstaan. Om hierdie doel te bereik, is die doelwitte: om die aard, omvang en oorsprong van intiemepaargeweld as ‘n maatskaplike probleem te verduidelik; om die relevansie van die ekologiese perspektief as teoretiese raamwerk vir die ontleding van intiemepaargeweld te bespreek; om die ondersteuning wat nodig is vir vroue in landelike gebiede wat by intiemepaargeweld betrokke is, te omskryf; om ondersoek in te stel na die ervaring van vroue in landelike gebiede wat by intiemepaargeweld betrokke is, ten opsigte van die beskikbaarheid van ondersteuning; en om aanbevelings te maak ten opsigte van die bevordering van die ondersteuning vir vroue in landelike gebiede wat aan intiemepaargeweld blootgestel word. ‘n Kombinasie van kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenaderings is in hierdie studie gebruik. Tydens hierdie ondersoek is ook beide ‘n verkennende en beskrywende navorsingsontwerp benut, aangesien die beskikbare literatuur ‘n gebrek aan inligting aangaande ondersteuning wat beskikbaar is aan vroue in landelike gebiede wat by intiemepaargeweld betrokke is, toon. ‘n Doelbewuste streekproefmetode is geselekteer om deelnemers te verkry. Die data is ingevorder deur die gebruik van ‘n semi-gestruktureerde vraelys tydens 20 afsonderlike individuele onderhoude. Sodoende kon ‘n geheelbeeld van die deelnemers se oortuigings en persepsies aangaande die onderwerp van die studie verkry word. Die samestelling van die vraelys berus op inligting wat uit die literatuurstudie verkry is. Die resultate van die ondersoek het hoofsaaklik die bevindinge van die literatuurstudie bevestig dat vroue in landelike gebiede wat by intiemepaargeweld betrokke is, ‘n behoefte aan ondersteuning op veelvoudige vlakke van die ekologiese perspektief het. Hierdie ondersteuning behels beide informele en formele ondersteuningsbronne en varieer vanaf konkrete, informatiewe tot emosionele ondersteuning ten einde stresvolle lewensituasies te kan hanteer. Die belangrikste aanbevelings van hierdie studie dui daarop dat maatskaplike werkers die ekologiese perspektief moet gebruik tydens dienste wat aan vroue in landelike gebiede wat by intiemepaargeweld betrokke is, gelewer word. Hierdie perspektief kan die nodige ondersteuningshulpbronne identifiseer en versterk om die nodige ondersteuning aan hierdie vroue op ‘n mikro-, meso-, ekso- en makrosisteemvlak te bied. Die aanbevelings dui ook aan dat maatskaplike werkers saam met verskeie regeringsektore, naamlik gesondheidsorg-, polisie- en wetstoepassingsdienste, ‘n multi-professionele span vorm sodat daar op die sosiale funksionering van gesinne en gemeenskap as ‘n geheel gefokus word. Maatskaplike werkers wat intervensiedienste lewer aan vroue in landelike gebiede wat aan intiemepaargeweld blootgestel word, moet op alle maatskaplikewerk-intervensievlakke fokus. Die aanbevelings beklemtoon die noodsaaklikheid van vroue en die gemeenskappe se bewustheid rakende intiemepaargeweld om sodoende vroue se onafhanklikheid te bevorder en ondersteuningsgroepe te bevorder en te fasiliteer.

Thesis (D. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 2008. / Abstract and vita. Includes final project proposal. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-152, 219-225).

Thesis (D. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 2008. / Abstract and vita. Includes final project proposal. Description based on Print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-152, 219-225).

Sexual assault has been in existence since the dawn of civilization with its negative impact on the physical and psychological being of women. However, little has been done to formally explore and describe experiences of sexually assaulted women in the North West Province. This study described and explored the experiences of sexually assaulted women in the North West Province. A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive design was used to describe the experiences of sexually assaulted women. Participants were purposively selected and 18 women participated in this study. Participants' ages ranged from 18-55 and all these women reported at the Thuthuzela Care Centre. Individual in-depth interviews and field notes were used to collect data. Conversations were audio taped while field notes were documented by the researcher. The purpose of the study was to use findings to make some recommendations that will provide individual support to women who are sexually assaulted. It was apparent from the findings that all victims interviewed experienced physical, social and psychological/ emotional trauma resulting from sexual assault. Dissatisfaction with the services provided by the police was also displayed. Victims indicated their need for support post sexual assault. The study recommended the development of a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) that will support victims from trauma until trial. Development of an inter-professional Education (IPE) curriculum in universities aiming at producing sensitized, empathetic, non-blaming and non judgmental attitude by professionals involved in management of sexual assault is also recommended. The approach is hoped to enhance an understanding of each team member's role in dealing with victims of Sexual Assault. / Thesis (M.Cur) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2012

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which women seeking services of a shelter for battered women in the Southwestern United States were similar to the existing picture of battered women. Supplemental questions were asked concerning the effects of substance abuse, marital status, and child abuse. Information was gathered from records of a sample of 100 women who sought shelter between September 1984 and August 1987. Results were compared with previous studies by Gayford (1975), Giles-Sims (1983), and Walker. Results suggested women in this study were similar to battered women who had been studied previously. No significant relationship was found between the use of drugs and/or alcohol and the type of abuse a woman experienced, between marital status and employment status, nor between the occurrence of child abuse and a woman's willingness to involve the police. Implications and recommendations for future research were presented.

D.Litt. et Phil. / The present study explores the experiences of abused women who kill their intimate male partners and are imprisoned as a result. It looks at the multiple traumas associated with the abuse, killing and imprisonment. Abuse of women violates their right of freedom and security, as well as the right to be free from torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. The experiences are explored within a prison context in which these women are serving hefty sentences as a means of punishment. This is a means of prosecuting perpetrators by the criminal justice system, thus sending out a message that violence is unacceptable. The prison context is metaphorically and physically associated with phenomenon such as isolation, control, labelling, punishment, reform and rehabilitation, among many others. Social Constructionism as a postmodern epistemology becomes relevant in this study in that the concern is in explicating the process by which people come to describe, explain, or otherwise account for the world (including themselves) in which they live. Therefore, the abused women’s experiences are descriptions to be understood through the analysis of the intersubjective influence of language, family, and culture. The implication being that social construction reflects on that which is said about the world, which is the product of shared conventions of discourse that are guided by and limited by the systems of language that we use. Our understandings of reality are embedded in our patterns of action, and these understandings constrain future constructions. Language as an important tool in social constructionism is embedded in the ideas, concepts and memories arising from social discourse and is found in neither the speaker nor the hearer, but somewhere in between. Furthermore, the context of prison afforded me with the opportunity to experience a sense of communality with the women, which according to a social constructionist stance suggests that reality is co-created between people in their quest for meaning from the interpreted experiences. There is no absolute truth that represents its objectivity, implying that as the researcher, I am not entering the system searching for some single truth that is ultimate. This acknowledges that there are realities and reflexivity of events and situations that look for many alternatives deconstructed and constructed equally between the researcher and participants. In conducting this study, a qualitative method of research was used, which focuses on the description, exploration and elaboration of experiences and perspectives of the people being interviewed. The qualitative method is not concerned with numbers and statistical analysis in the way that the quantitative method is. The participants take active charge in describing and exploring experiences that bring about meaning to them and the study. The researcher is equally involved as the participants, and becomes the participant observer. Whilst the focus was directed towards experiences of abuse and the multiple implications of trauma on abused women, the larger social context of their experiences was acknowledged. Five women offenders who are in the Potchefstroom prison, participated in this research. The women were allowed to elaborate on their experiences as experts in their own lives. Through this interaction a relational process of sharing and support emerges, which is characteristic of therapeutic practices with social constructionism. In-depth semi-structured interviews provided a means to explore their incidents of abuse as perpetrated by their intimate male partners. For the purpose of collecting data, an open-ended questionnaire was used. A thematic content method was used to analyse data. Here themes are identified that represent the meaning of events constructed by the participants themselves. A thematic analysis reflected the following themes: Loss and gain, power and helplessness, hope and despair as well as connection and disconnection. Upon the identification and analysis of themes, the discussion of findings which are integrated using the social constructionist theory, was conducted. From the findings the implications of multiple traumas abused women suffer at the hands of their intimate male partners, and the result of killing and imprisonment, are explored.