This dissertation focusses upon battered women in Gaborone and its environs. It aims to perspective. examine physical battering from a socio-legal In an attempt to link the social and the legal, the women' s theoretical with the 'symbolic' them. and actual responses are analysed together and practical legal remedies available to by using new revolutionary feminism as a methodological and analytical tool, the researcher was able both to: relate to the women as a woman, and - ' create with the women a means of communication which was less hierarchic than it would otherwise have been. The legal and sociological responses are examined against the backdrop of a brief socio-political history of the country. The central themes focussed upon here are the law, role of chiefs, and the role and status of women in both the pre- and post-independence phases. This Chapter also serves to locate the major themes of the dissertation, marriage, family and the law, within a broader socio-political context. A brief excursus focusses on selected Zimbabwean legislation which directly relates to women. Even though the legislation is not specifically for combating battering, its potential use for such purpose becomes clear. Zimbabwe provides an example of a contemporary African country actively involved with putting to paper its government's ·commitment to the liberation of women and the establishment of equality of men and women in all spheres of Zimbabwean society. '1 The recommendations are divided into preferred and interim measures. The preferred measures operable within the researcher's preferred society are aimed at: the elimination of traditional structures which result in oppression and exploitation; the elimination of ideological relations which create and reinforce oppressive social relations at both personal and I global political economic levels; and being a society in which the laws both reflect and effect the principles of equality and legality. The interim measures operate within the present society and serve as precursors to the preferred remedies. The experiences of the women and the limited use of the law both 'formed the basis for these recommendations. It is this researcher's submission that battering cannot be addressed adequately in legal terms alone. Seen as a means of social control of women, battering has to be dealt with at both the social and legal levels for any effective measures to be taken.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (International Relations), 2017 / Any harm or violence that is perpetrated against a person’s will, and that results from power inequalities based on gender roles continues to be an incessant, focal and universal human rights issue. Typically shrouded in a culture of silence, the continuation of and rise in genderspecific crimes demands the increased necessary attention and action for its decrease and ultimate eradication. This paper explores the impact and efficacy of gender-equality related norms underpinning international instruments aimed at reducing gender-specific crimes. Assessing both the global human rights regime in place at an international level, and how efforts to reduce and eradicate the gender-specific crimes of female infanticide and honour crimes are reconceptualised and adopted at a national level, this paper utilises a conceptual framework of norm realisation to understand the observed variation in the outcomes of the different cases and contexts of India and Turkey. It concludes by evaluating the extent of the realisation of gender-related norms, outlining and analysing the reasons for the observed variation as well as suggesting policy recommendations to increase the success of future combative efforts intended to reduce gender-specific crimes, gender-based violence and gender inequality. / XL2018

Gender-based Violence (GBV) has emerged as a major issue on the international human rights agenda and a major public health challenge throughout the world. A large proportion of the violence committed against women is perpetrated by their intimate partners. According to the World Health Organization’s Multi-country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence, it is estimated that approximately 10% to 60% of married women have experienced physical intimate-partner violence during their lifetimes (Garcia-Moreno, Jansen, Ellsberg, Heise and Watts, 2006). Once the extent of GBV in South Africa was realised interventions were put in place to address the issue and the Domestic Violence Act No 116 of 1998 (DVA) was instituted by the South African government, aimed at protecting and combating violence against women. The notion of ending GBV was also acknowledged by the late former South African president, Nelson Mandela (Nelson Mandela’s first State of the Nation Address in Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, 24 May 1994) said: “Freedom cannot be achieved unless the women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression." (www.ehow.com, first accessed 9 August, 2013). People Opposing Woman Abuse (POWA), a Johannesburg-based non-governmental organization (NGO), initiated interventions to address GBV. POWA offers services to women in South Africa (SA) who have experienced domestic violence, sexual harassment or rape and other forms of violence, by aiming to creating a safe society where women are powerful, self –reliant and respected. Driven by the need to create a collective space through which women could share their stories of surviving GBV, POWA established the Women’s Writing Project (WPP) in 2005. The project publishes annual anthologies with specific themes for a particular year, giving women survivors a platform and opportunity to tell their stories as an important part of the healing process. Though the first anthology was published in 2005, this thesis only provides an analysis of the POWA WWP anthologies from 2008-2013. The notion that narratives can be used as therapeutic tools had prompted the researcher to use existing narratives as a basis to investigate GBV. The study is a qualitative, interpretive study, using content analysis as a method and working within the framework of the Ecological model (1999:18) which talks about the multi-faceted nature of GBV. A total of 65 English narratives, 13 per anthology, by survivors of GBV were used and common themes that emerged were identified to obtain accounts of these selected women’s perceptions, experiences and articulations on GBV. Informed by a theoretical framework consisting of Heise, Ellsberg and Gottemoeller’s Ecological model (1999:18), the USAID GBV Life cycle model (2009:15) and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) GBV health effects document (2005:23), the researcher extracted the main overarching themes which emerged from the women’s narratives. Drawing on the study’s content analysis methodology and the subsequent emerging main narrative themes, the researcher could draw certain conclusions about general similarities in the experiences and perceptions about GBV of the women who participated in POWA’s Johannesburg-based five-year Women’s Writing Project (2008-2013). The most salient of these conclusions are that the following issues are major factors contributing to GBV in the specific sample group, and by assumption also among the larger population that it represents: alcohol abuse and the absence of mother figures. Conclusions about the effects of GBV include that most women suffer from psychological health effects due to GBV experiences. Based on the selected narratives in this study the researcher could conclude that self-narrative storytelling and the recounting of traumatic experiences had therapeutic potential in the treatment and recovery of survivors of GBV. Many of the narrators said that structured self-narration and the publication of their stories had helped to construct a recovery support system not only for themselves but also for those who are possibly still suffering from the consequences of violence. In this way survivors of GBV can therapeutically construct new identities for themselves, which transcend their abuse and thereby actively participate in the construction of meaning in their lives.

The purpose of this experiment was to measure participants' normative judgment and willingness to help a woman who is being assaulted by a man.

M.Sc. / The present study explores the personal narratives of three battered women who have been involved in the killing of their batterers, with regards to the processes of the perpetuation of abuse and victimising patterns in contexts of the battering - relationships, the criminal justice system and the prison system, which contribute to the co-creation of the women's sense of self and identity. The narratives unfold from a prison setting, where these three women are serving long-term sentences. The narratives are described within a social constructionist perspective. Two-tape recorded conversations of an hour and a half were held with each of the participants in this study. The conversations included a written dialogue from the women. In-depth interviews were used to guide the emerging narratives. The reflections of the researcher are linked to the analysis of the co-created narratives. The narratives suggest that the recognition of these women as victims of violence is clouded by the need for larger systems, namely, the criminal justice system and the prison system to identify the women as perpetrators of violence. The prison system parallels the battering relationship in positioning the women as victims. Suggestions around the treatment of- battered women who kill in prison, include communally validating the experiences and feelings of these women through the processes of group therapy. Re-categorising the women in prison, as battered women who kill, rather than murderers so as to recognise the context of the battered women is suggested. Community service is considered as an alternative to long term imprisonment. Community outreach programs from prison to share knowledge of battered women who kill is also suggested. Government policies, where possible, should be made accessible and government sponsored shelters should be established so as to recognise battered women who kill as victims of violence. Children of battered women who kill should be given assistance and provided with necessary treatment. Empirical research is needed in order to determine the prevalence of battered women who kill. Comparative studies are needed to determine whether these findings can be generalised to the general population of battered women who kill.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This paper aims to provide an understanding of the psychodynamic implications of battering on the victims of this form of abuse. Three dominant approaches to trauma (one descriptive, one explanatory and one phenomenological) are briefly discussed. Available empirical data is then explored to ascertain whether the empirical research correspond to these dominant theories. The research indicates that the theories all highlight different aspects of battering and all have important implications for treatment. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie werkstuk poog om die psigodinamiese implikasies van vroue mishandeling te verstaan. Drie dominante modelle van hierdie vorm van trauma (een beskrywend, een verduidelikend, en een fenomonologies) word kortliks bespreek. Beskikbare empiriese navorsing word ge-eksploreer om vas te stelof die navorsing ooreenstem met hierdie dominante modelle. Die navoring dui daarop dat al hierdie modelle verskillende aspekte van vroue mishandeling uitlig, en dat al hierdie modelle beduidende implikasies het vir behandeling.

A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology In the faculty of Humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg July 2017 / This research project is a part of a larger umbrella study that aims to explore the perceived psychological effects of Silent Protest day at the University of Witwatersrand. The research participants were students that participated in the event, whether or not they have been victims of sexual violence, or participated to show support for those who have. The intention of this research project was to identify factors that influence the disclosure of sexual violence on the Silent Protest day but also in general, and to explore the process of, and reasons for keeping silent about or disclosing the experience of sexual violence (whether to one person or to many). Sexual violence is a considerably big problem in South Africa, and unfortunately the majority of sexual offences go unreported. It has been shown that survivors of sexual violence often display signs of psychological distress and might develop a psychological disorder. The silence and stigma around sexual violence can prevent victim-survivors from reporting incidents and most importantly from seeking help. Research has shown that emotional inhibition about and/or nondisclosure of traumatic events is significantly associated with psychological problems such as dissociation, anxiety, depression, PTSD and mood disorders. The aims of this research project were therefore to get a better understanding of the nuances surrounding the actual process of disclosure on Silent protest day and in victim-survivors lives, to explore why individuals decide to, or not to, disclose sexual violence, and the emotional and psychological aspects and effects that are elicited and experienced within that process. Five participants that had participated in the 2015 Silent Protest were interviewed. The themes that emerged from the research were: factors that may prevent disclosure; factors that may facilitate disclosure; factors that appear to have a mixed effect on disclosure; and the researcher’s reflections on participants’ disclosure to her. Underlying these themes were various sub-themes such as feelings of shame, not knowing how to disclose, fear, having the opportunity to disclose; the nature of the relationship to the perpetrator; anticipated reaction from others; the survivor’s general feelings on disclosure, and their views of other survivors’ experiences of disclosure. The findings imply that the ability to tease out and understand the survivors’ internal processes from the external factors is key in aiding the actual process of disclosure in a supportive manner. / XL2018

A research report submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, August 2017 / This study forms part of the broader project by Dr Yael Kadish, aimed at exploring participants’ experiences of the annual Wits Silent Protest against sexual violence march. This particular study aimed to explore how male supporter participants in the Silent Protest made meaning of their participation in the protest, how they experienced participation in the protest as men, and to explore the views of the male supporter participants on how the protest can improve the experiences of male supporter participants in order to improve male participation. This study is an exploratory study that made use of a qualitative research design. Six males who participated in the Silent Protest at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2015 were interviewed. Participants were recruited on the day of the protest and data was collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews. Reflexivity throughout the research process included considerations of being a woman interviewing men on a relatively sensitive issue, as well as touching on the overlap of advocacy and researcher roles. Five major themes were derived from the interviews: Personal Reasons for Participating in the Protest; Lack of Knowledge and Understanding of the Purpose of the Protest; Sexual Violence Happens only to Women; Negotiating one’s Sense of Masculinity in the Silent Protest; and More Male Faces Needed in the Protest. These themes illuminated three major findings in this study: The first of these is that the issue of sexual violence was thought by interviewees to be a women’s issue. The second is that they often feel that they are unfairly painted as potential perpetrators of sexual assault. Lastly, the third is that participation in the protest appears to be in direct contravention of the ideals of hegemonic masculinity. Finally, it is suggested that in order to lower societal desensitization and the level of tolerance for sexual violence and to effect real social change, it is important to include all members of society - individuals from all social and gender groups and categories, not just women. / XL2018

It is generally agreed that a criminal justice system reflects the values of the society within which it exists. The presence of patriarchal social values will likely affect the response of the criminal justice system to intimate violence. While the perpetration of violence against another is a violation of an important social norm, patriarchal values may function to discount the seriousness of such an act, if the violence is perpetrated by a man against his girlfriend or wife. This discount of seriousness may lead to less severe punishment for men who assault their intimates than to men who assault nonintimates. The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that men who are convicted of committing serious assaults against female intimates receive more lenient punishment than men who are convicted of committing serious assault against nonintimates. Punishment was defined as sentencing outcomes, i. e. type and length of sentence. The sentences of offenders convicted of felony assaults as the major offense and subject to sentencing guidelines in Oregon in 1993 were examined. Chi-square tests were used to compare the sentence types of intimate and nonintimate violence offenders. Two-tailed !-tests and multiple linear regression were used to examine the relationship between victim-offender relationship and length of sentence. It appears that the presence of Oregon's sentencing guidelines, rather than victim-offender relationship, had the greatest effect upon the severity of punishment. This finding suggests that the guidelines may be responsible for minimizing the impact of patriarchal values on sentencing decisions in serious assault cases.

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