A National Study of Female Homicide in South Africa

Background The killing of women by intimate partners (also known as intimate female homicide or intimate femicide) is the most extreme form and consequence of violence against women. Globally, gender differences are found in homicide patterns. Men are at greater risk of being killed than women and this is mainly done by other men. Women, on the other hand, are primarily killed by the opposite gender (Goetting, 1988). The murder of women by an intimate partner accounts for between 40 – 70% of all female homicides (Dahlberg & Krug, 2002). This form of violence has received very little attention and the few studies that have been conducted have been mainly in developed countries. The only previous study conducted in South Africa was a pilot study in the Gauteng region. This study found that a woman is killed every six days in Gauteng by an intimate partner (Vetten 1996). Despite its limitations this research finding has been used extensively in advocacy campaigns.