Violence Against Woman. A National Survey

Violence against women is regarded as a priority at the highest levels of government. It is also a focus for most donors active in South Africa, and a sector in which civil society is heavily engaged in the provision of services. This book, based on a national survey of 1,000 survivors of economic, emotional, physical and sexual abuse, explores these women's experiences of the services provided by the state and civil society, and the gaps in our response to the problem. The study provides valuable insights into the nature of the problem and more importantly, how we as individuals and as a society respond to it. This book is aimed at decision makers and practitioners concerned with violence against women, and indeed violence more generally in South Africa. The combination throughout the book of statistics, direct quotations, and the narrative accounts of survivors themselves is deliberate. We hope the statistical results will assist with planning and advocacy. The first-hand accounts of abuse and violence are included to ensure that these high-level processes are never far removed from the hard realities facing many women in this country, particularly what it means to live in constant fear and uncertainty among the very people you should trust the most.