Abstract
M.A.
Despite efforts by Government to curb domestic violence, many rural women still continue to face extraordinarily high levels of abuse by husbands or male partners. According to research done on woman abuse in rural communities, in some instances, these abused women may sustain severe injuries, and may even be killed. However, it is alleged that many rural women believe that men have the right to beat them, as it is a way of expressing love. Furthermore, it is often acceptable for a man to sleep with his partner without consent, as it is believed that he would otherwise sleep with other women. Such infidelity would thus be his partner’s or wife’s – the victim’s – fault.
Woman abuse is thus complex and difficult to define, as people interpret it differently, depending on their values and beliefs. According to many feminists, woman abuse can only be understood when abused women are allowed to tell their own stories or share their experiences within their own context. The goal of this research is to gain an understanding of how women in a rural community, Merry Pebble Stream in Mpumalanga Province, perceive and deal with woman abuse in their own context by giving them an opportunity to share their stories, feelings and perceptions. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted with nine women, who were purposively selected and who were part of a Victim Empowerment Programme (VEP) at Mpumalanga Department of Social Development (DSD). Data was collected through face-to-face interviews, using a semi-structured interview schedule.
A feminist approach influenced the research design, methodology and analysis of the study. Giving participants an opportunity to tell their own stories is central to feminism, as women’s voices are thus allowed to be heard. In this study, all nine women interviewed revealed that they had experienced multiple forms of abuse perpetuated by male partners, ranging from physical, sexual and emotional/verbal abuse to financial abuse. It was found that many of these victims perpetuated the abuse by protecting the abusers, as they had hoped that their situations would change. Yet the abuse continued: all nine participants had been abused for a very long time – at least four years. Often, these women would be referred from the clinics that they were treated at after sustaining severe injuries to the police station to open a case of assault. However, after a few days, the victims would return to the police station to drop the charge against the perpetrator, stating that there...