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Every Six Hours: Understanding Intimate Femicide in South Africa

Explore the profound impact of intimate partner violence on female mortality. This study sheds light on the prevalence, factors, and medico-legal aspects of intimate femicide in South Africa, presenting critical findings on victim-perpetrator relationships and firearm lethality. The study provides valuable insights into addressing this pressing issue in the country.

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Every Six Hours: Understanding Intimate Femicide in South Africa

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  1. “Every Six Hours”: Intimate Femicide in South Africa Presented by: Shanaaz Mathews at Strengthening Understanding on Femicide Meeting Washington DC, 14-16th April 2008

  2. Investigators • Shanaaz Mathews, Naeema Abrahams & Rachel Jewkes (Gender & Health Research Unit, MRC), • Lorna Martin (Dept. of Forensic Medicine, UCT), • Lisa Vetten (CSVR) • Carl Lombard (Biostatistics Unit, MRC).

  3. BACKGROUND • Intimate femicide is the most extreme form and consequence of intimate partner violence • The health consequences of IPV have been extensively explored • Yet, little is known about the mortality of women as a result of IPV • It is estimated that 40 –70% of female murder victims are killed by an intimate partner globally (WHO 2002) • There is an absence of published data from developing countries • The only other study in South Africa was by Vetten (1996) who undertook research in one province, • Cases were identified through inquest inquiries & newspaper reports • This study estimated that a woman was killed every 6 days in South Africa • Before this study the magnitude of the problem in South Africa had not been explored systematically

  4. Limitations in the design of homicide studies in developing settings • Studies on intimate femicide have predominantly been conducted in developed countries • These studies mainly used homicide data-bases and FBI supplemental homicide reports • Such data-bases do not exist in SA or other similar settings • Current routine death data collected in SA • Home affairs only note “cause of death” • Police homicide only data capture homicide data by gender • Routine data sources in SA do not enable murder to be studied by victim-perpetrator relationship • It required novel ways of accessing the required data

  5. AIMS OF STUDY • To describe the size of the problem of intimate femicide • To identify the factors associated with intimate femicide • To describe aspects of the medico-legal investigation of femicide • To compare management of cases of women killed by intimate and non-intimate partners

  6. DEFINITION OF TERMS • Female Homicide (or femicide) – the unlawful and intentional causing of a death of a female • Intimate Femicide – the intentional killing of a woman by an intimate partner (husband, boyfriend, cohabiting partner, same sex partner (current or ex), a rejected would-be lover as well as perpetrators from incestuous relationships • Non-Intimate Femicide - the intentional killing of a woman by someone other than an intimate partner

  7. SAMPLE • Data was collected from a nationally representative sample of mortuaries, so that the findings would be generalisable nationally • Mortuaries were stratified based on size: • Large > 1500 bodies per annum • Medium 500 -1500 bodies per annum • Small < 500 bodies per annum • Sample of mortuaries were drawn taking into account this stratification • 25 mortuaries, spread between all provinces

  8. METHODOLOGY • All female homicides aged 14 and over were identified via death registers at sampled mortuaries • If we were uncertain whether a case was a homicide, it was included and verified with police information and pathologist report • Post-mortem reports were photocopied and injury and pathology data extracted by a forensic pathologist

  9. METHODOLOGY cont….. • Police case numbers were the crucial link to identify investigating officers responsible for cases • The aim was to interview the IO in all identified cases • Where the IO was not available, information was obtained from the commanding officer or a record review • Information from IO included: • Whether the cases were homicide • Victim- perpetrator relationship • Background of woman and perpetrator • Legal outcome of case

  10. STUDY FINDINGS

  11. STUDY SAMPLE

  12. RATES OF FEMICIDE IN SA • Overall female rate of 24.7 per 100 000 women 14+ yrs • Where victim perpetrator relationship was known: • 50.3% of women were killed by an current or ex husband / boyfriend and considered as intimate partner femicide • 8.8 / 100 000 women 14+ yrs compared to • 2.5 times higher than 3.5/100 000 women 15 years and older – US North Carolina (Moracco et al 1998)

  13. In South Africa, 4 women per day are killed by an intimate partner • A woman is killed every 6 hours by an intimate partner

  14. RATES OF INTIMATE FEMICIDE BY RACE

  15. DISTRIBUTION OF AGES OF VICTIMS

  16. RELATIONSHIP STATUS OF INTIMATE FEMICIDES *Boyfriend: non-cohabiting partner *Other: incest perpetrator, same sex partner & rejected person proposing love

  17. MECHANISM OF DEATH BY TYPE OF HOMICIDE

  18. LETHALITY OF FIREARMS • A third of women were killed by a firearm • Ownership of a legal firearm was strongly associated with intimate femicide • There was a 10 times greater risk of intimate femicide compared to non-intimate femicide if the perpetrator owned a legal gun • 20.6% of intimate femicide perpetrators owned a legal and 7.1% an illegal gun • The PAR shows us that 64.9% of intimate femicides where the perpetrator owned a legal gun could have been averted if he did not own a legal gun

  19. INTIMATE FEMICIDE-SUICIDE • 1 in 5 men continue to commit suicide after killing am intimate partner • Intimate femicide-suicide rate : 1.7 per 100 000 women 14+years • 66.3% of these men owned a legal gun • 58% of these men were employed in the security industry • 29% of these murder-suicides occurred after the woman ended the relationship

  20. RAPE HOMICIDES • Rape homicide was suspected in 16.3% of all female homicides • Rate of 3.65/100 000 14 years+ • More likely to occur when the perpetrator was a stranger • Cause of death more likely blunt force injuries, strangulations and asphyxiation • Cause of death less likely to be gunshot

  21. FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH BEING KILLED BY AN INTIMATE PARTNER • Younger victim • Older perpetrator • Killed at home • Victim worked as a domestic worker • Victim lived on the street • Perpetrator had a problem with alcohol use • Use of a legal firearm in the murder • Mechanism of death was - Blunt force (based on a logistic regression model)

  22. CONCLUSIONS • This study has shown that SA has the highest reported rate of IF, IF-S and rape homicides in the world where it has been studied • Mortality from IF is an extension from the IPV problem in SA rather than homicide • The study has indicated the need for ongoing surveillance and monitoring of female homicides • The findings have been used as an advocacy tool to raise the issue of intimate femicide with policy makers and civil society organisations • Importantly we have developed a model for data collection which can be adapted to other developing settings

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