News | 17 Oct 2017
Intimate partner violence – particularly sexual violence – is an underreported and hidden problem in South Africa. High levels of gender based violence are highlighted during 16 Days of Activism and Women’s Month but the public perception is that sexual violence and abuse is perpetrated largely by strangers. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Intimate partner violence (IPV), defined as the experience of “physical, sexual or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse” is a significant public health and human rights problem across the globe and in South Africa. In a nationally representative study on IPV,…
