Research glossary

Date rape (acquaintance rape) is sexual violence committed by someone the survivor knows, such as a friend, date, partner, or peer. It may involve pressure, threats, force, or taking advantage of someone who is intoxicated or unable to consent.

Many survivors struggle to label it because the perpetrator was known or trusted, but rape is still rape when consent is absent.

Date rape drugs are substances used to make a person unable to consent or defend themselves. They are often slipped into drinks or food without the person knowing and can cause confusion, memory loss, dizziness, or unconsciousness. Alcohol is also commonly used in this way.

Examples: Someone offers you a drink, you suddenly feel extremely tired or disoriented, and you can’t remember what happened later, this can be a red flag.

Drugs that have been used in date rapes include flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) and gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB). These drugs inhibit a person's ability to resist sexual assault.

“Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) is a central nervous system depressant. It is similar to diazepam (such as Valium) but about 10 times more potent. It is commonly called roofies. It is a tasteless, odorless tablet that can be crushed and dissolved in liquid. It has been used in date rapes, because it can be slipped into a person's drink without it being detected. One small tablet can produce effects for 8 to 12 hours.”

“Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a central nervous system depressant. GHB is a clear, odourless liquid that looks like water and so can be added to a beverage without the person knowing it. It may also be used in the form of a white powder. GHB is also known as liquid ecstasy, G, or soap

Dating abuse is domestic violence within a dating relationship. It often starts small and escalates over time, and it can happen in teen relationships and adult relationships.

Dating abuse is about control, not love. It may include emotional abuse, sexual pressure, physical violence, isolating someone from friends, extreme jealousy, financial control, or monitoring a partner’s phone and location.

Example: A partner demands your password, checks your phone, controls what you wear, and threatens you if you leave – this is abuse.

A pattern of violent and coercive behavior used by one partner to control another; this violence takes multiple
forms, including physical, emotional, sexual financial abuse (Rennison, et al., 2003).

Debriefing is a structured conversation after a distressing event to process what happened, reflect, and identify support needs. Debriefing is common after trauma exposure (for survivors, families, first responders, and support teams).

In GBV contexts, debriefing should never pressure someone to share details before they are ready. It should be trauma-informed, supportive, and focused on safety and well-being.

Means to provide a summary on the situation. The expression is often used in therapy sessions or dialogue
when dealing with cases of violence where there is an expression or disclosure of feelings and impact of the
shock, or the violence in this case, on their psychology. However, it can also be used after discussion sessions
to summarize what was discussed in that session.

Defamation involves making false statements about an individual that harm their reputation, exposing them to hatred, contempt, or ridicule.

A common mental disorder that presents with loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth,
disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration (WHO, 2010). This is different from frustration
which is a hypothetical state that happens when a human being can’t pursue his/her expected outcome.

Developmental Trauma is a term used in the literature to describe childhood trauma such as chronic abuse, neglect or other harsh adversity in their own homes. When a child is exposed to overwhelming stress and their caregiver does not help reduce this stress, or is the cause of the stress, the child experiences developmental trauma.

Developmental traumas are also called Adverse Childhood Experiences. These are chronic family traumas such as having a parent with mental illness or substance abuse, losing a parent due to divorce, abandonment or incarceration, witnessing domestic violence, not feeling loved or that the family is close, or not having enough food or clean clothing, as well as direct verbal, physical or sexual abuse. The impact of these traumas has been researched extensively

Disability is imposed by society when a person with a physical, psychosocial, intellectual, neurological and/or sensory impairment is denied access to full participation in all aspects of life, and when society fails to uphold the rights and specific needs of individuals with impairments.

: a section 174 application is brought once the state’s case has closed and before the defence
has begun. The defence will argue that there is no need to continue as the state has failed to make a prima facie case
that needs to be defended.

Discrimination is behaviour that results from prejudiced attitudes by individuals or institutions, resulting in unequal outcomes for persons who are perceived as different. It is the unfair treatment due to a “Prohibited Ground” under the Human Rights Code, which includes race, sex, sexual orientation, gender orientation and gender expression, same sex partner status, colour, ancestry, place of origin, ethnic origin, marital status, age, disability, citizenship, family status, or religion.

Discrimination includes, but is not restricted to, the denial of equal treatment, civil liberties and opportunities to individuals or groups with respect to education, accommodation, health care, employment and access to services, goods and facilities

Distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing the
recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men
and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any
other field (UN-CEDAW, 2009).

- Actions taken to exclude or treat others differently because of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation
and/or disability (Rychetnik & Todd, 2004).

The term applies, more commonly, to the woman that leaves her home without her husband's permission and
without a legitimate reason, or can apply to the woman who is in her home but prevents her husband from
having sexual intercourse with her. As such, her right to alimony is dropped.

Dissociation is a coping strategy to manage overwhelming experiences. In the absence of stress, the mind is able to collect all the information around us – sensations, feelings, thoughts, behaviours and identity – and use it to make sense of one’s experience. This means that at any given moment we know who we are, where we are, what we are thinking and feeling, and so on. However, in an overwhelming or unbearable situation, a person may dissociate, or protect herself by disconnecting from aspects of what she is experiencing. This makes the situation momentarily tolerable. When one dissociates, one or more pieces of information are cut off from the self, resulting in a fragmented or confusing sense of oneself or of the experience. When there is chronic traumatization, dissociation may become a well-practiced strategy that can lead to problems in daily life and/or increase one’s vulnerability to additional harm. For example, individuals who dissociate regularly may: feel as though there are large periods of time when they don’t know what happened; find themselves in places without any memory of how they got there; find evidence that they have engaged in some activity – for example, gone shopping – but not have any memory of it; be told they were acting different or strange; have others insist they know them from somewhere, but have no memory of meeting this person.

A partial or complete loss of the normal integration between memories of the past, awareness of identity, and
immediate sensations and control of bodily movements (WHO, 1992)

The termination of the marriage by a judge order because of harm incurred from keeping the marriage: as for
example, husband not paying money, the presence of discords, continuous absence or the presence of a
physical or a mental defect of the man. The basic ground for separation is: remove the harm.
- The separation request is held by the wife wishing to separate from her husband on the basis of a specific and
legitimate reason which the judge refers to in order to rule for separation. This provision results in the sense of
irrevocable divorce meaning that the couple can’t reconsider their divorce without new bride price (mahr) and
contract. This termination is also called divorcing and is only known in Islamic sects.

an SAPS case fi le in which all record of documents and criminal case proceedings are stored.