Children and domestic violence: should child exposure to domestic violence be regarded as child abuse?
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Date
2025
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Western Cape
Abstract
Domestic and family violence is a pervasive and frequently lethal problem that challenges society at every level. Violence in families is often hidden from view and devastates its victims physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. It threatens the stability of the family and negatively impacts on all family members, especially the children who learn from it that violence is an acceptable way to cope with stress or problems or to gain control over another person. It violates communities’ safety, health, welfare, and economies by draining billions annually in social costs such as medical expenses, psychological problems, lost productivity, and intergenerational violence. Domestic violence is a prevalent problem globally.2 The World Health Organisation (WHO) conducted a prevalence data survey from 2000-2018 across 161 countries and found that 30% of women have been subjected to physical, sexual violence or both by an intimate partner.3 Moreover, in the same study, the WHO estimates that 38% of all murders of women are committed by an intimate partner.4 South Africa is known as one of the countries with high rates of domestic violence.5 It is estimated that 51% of women in South Africa have experienced abuse in their lifetime and 78% of men admit to having been perpetrators of women abuse.6 To highlight the severity of this matter, the number of protection orders obtained by victims of domestic violence amounted to 668 873 between the year 2009 to 2011.7 It is notable that in South Africa, domestic violence often results in the murder of women by their husbands and boyfriends.8 The interpersonal violence encountered by South African adolescents is respectively 5 to 8 times higher than the global average.
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Keywords
Child abuse, Domestic Violence Amendment Act, Domestic violence, Protection order, Children’s Act
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