Research glossary

specialised unit within SAPS that deals with family violence, child protection and sexual offences cases.

Family violence is abuse within a family system and can involve partners, parents, children, siblings, or extended family members. It is rooted in power and control and may take physical, emotional, financial, or sexual forms.
Family violence can also include forced decisions about pregnancy, financial restriction, or violence by in-laws. In many cases, cultural or community pressure makes it harder to report.

To better understand the signs of family violence, your legal options, and how to seek help safely, see our detailed Domestic Violence guides for detailed information on family violence.

The intentional abuse among individuals where significant others are part of the family and/or are fulfilling the
function of family, in order to gain power and control over the victim. It includes spousal violence, intimate
partner violence, violence between parents and children, siblings, spouses and inlaws. Examples include
preventing a spouse from access to food, water, shelter or clothing, forced abortion, spousal abuse for not
doing what is expected by the husband, such as being late in preparing food, or beating of the wife by her
mother in law.

A family only includes people who are related. A well-functioning family provides members with emotional, social, spiritual and material support that is sustained throughout life, and it also represents the cradle from which the values and norms of a society are transmitted and preserved, and is therefore a key institution for transforming values and norms. A household is a person or group of persons that usually lives and eats together. Furthermore, a household may consist of multiple families

Any form of abuse or neglect that a child or adult experiences from a family member, or from someone with whom they have an intimate relationshipFootnote5, whether current or former.

Family violence is considered to be any form of abuse, mistreatment or neglect that a child or adult experiences from a family member, or from someone with whom they have an intimate relationship.” [1] “Family violence is a gender-based crime as most victims are women and girls. One out of four violent crimes in Canada reported to police involves family violence.

The different terms used for family violence can have slightly different meanings depending on where and how they are used, such as in a courtroom or a hospital. For example:

Domestic violence can sometimes mean family violence and sometimes it means intimate partner violence.
Intimate partner violence refers to physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse and can also be called dating violence between couples who are not married.
The terms violence against women and gender-based violence are also used.
Child abuse is sometimes called child maltreatment or neglect, and elder abuse is sometimes referred to as neglect.

FGM refers to the non-medical cutting or alteration of female genitalia. It is a harmful practice and a violation of human rights.

FGM can cause severe pain, infection, childbirth complications, and long-term emotional trauma. It is illegal in South Africa.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.” [1] “Infections incurred as the result of unhygienic operations frequently result in loss of life, which is considered an acceptable outcome.” [2]

“The World Health Organization has classified FGM into four types:

Type I – Excision of the prepuce, with or without excision of part or all of the clitoris.

Type II – Excision of the clitoris with partial or total excision of the labia minora.

Type III – Excision of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching/narrowing of the vaginal opening (infibulation).

Type IV – Unclassified which includes pricking, piercing or incising of the clitoris and/or labia; stretching of the clitoris and/or labia; cauterization by burning of the clitoris and surrounding tissue.

Female genital mutilation constitutes all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. These practices are sometimes also referred to as “female circumcision” or “female genital cutting

Female infanticide is “the intentional killing of female infants or fetuses because they are female. The practice is shaped by a host of cultural and economic factors, such as norms which lead to a preference of sons over daughters.

“The son preference over daughter has been rooted in various social norms of most patrilineal societies such as inheritance passing on to male offspring, male offspring providing economic support and security in old age and performing death rites.

Femicide is the intentional killing of women and girls because they are women and girls." [1]

There are different forms of femicide including:

Intimate Femicide:The killing of women and girls by current or former partners or family members.
Non-Intimate Femicide:The killing of women and girls by someone without an intimate relationship with them (e.g. serial killings motivated by misogyny).
Murder in the Name of ‘Honor’:The killing of women and girls because their lived experience (e.g. engaging in premarital sex) is judged as a violation of gender and/or family expectations.
Female Infanticide and Gender-Based Sex-Selective Foeticide:The killing of female infants or fetuses because they are female.
Genital Mutilation Related Femicide:The killing of women and girls resulting from complications associated with female genital mutilation.
Dowry-Related Femicide:The killing of a woman or girl by the groom’s family because the dowry (e.g. money, property) provided by her family is judged as inadequate.
Organized Crime Related Femicide:The killing of women and girls associated with gangs, drugs, human trafficking, and/or gun proliferation.

The killing of females because they are females (Russell et al, 2001). It is known to prevail before the advent of
Islam, serving the killing of female newborns, for fear of falling into captivity in the wars that arise between the
tribes, staining the honor of the family and the tribe. This practice is still known in China but done for a different
reason.

Femicide is the killing of a woman because of her gender, and it is the gravest form of gender-based violence.

The term "femicide" was first publicly introduced by Diana Russell in 1976 during the International Tribunal of Crimes Against Women in Brussels. Since its introduction into the lexicon of gender-based violence, our understanding of what constitutes femicide has evolved and shifted. Most analysts use a narrow interpretation that limits the use of the term "femicide" to situations involving intimate partner violence or sexual violence; some organizations, however, use a more expansive definition that encompasses systemic issues, such as the gendered impacts of poverty.

Also known as female homicide, is generally understood to involve intentional murder of women because they are women, but broader definitions include any killing of women or girls. In South Africa, it is defined as the killing of a female person, or a person perceived as female, on the basis of gender identity, whether committed within a domestic relationship, interpersonal relationship or by any other person, or whether perpetrated or tolerated by the State or its agents. Intimate femicide is defined as the murder of women by intimate partners, i.e. a current or former husband or boyfriend, same-sex partner, or a rejected would-be lover.

Feminism is the belief in and advocacy for equal rights, safety, and opportunities for all genders. It challenges systems that normalise inequality, gender stereotypes, and violence against women and marginalised groups.

Feminism is not about “hating men.” It is about dignity, safety, and equal access to justice, education, healthcare, and leadership.

Filicide is the killing of a child by a parent. These cases may involve severe domestic violence, coercive control, revenge against a partner, or mental health crises.

Each case is complex and requires careful investigation. Families affected by filicide need trauma-informed support.

Filicide is “the killing of children by parents. Research has demonstrated that when fathers kill their children it is often in the context of a history of domestic violence and retaliation against their female partner for leaving or attempting to leave the relationship.

Financial abuse occurs when someone controls or harms another person through money or access to resources. It is common in domestic violence and can trap someone in an abusive relationship.

Examples include taking someone’s income, blocking access to bank accounts, forcing debt in their name, preventing them from working, or monitoring every cent they spend.

Financial abuse happens when someone uses money or property to control or exploit someone else. It can involve:

taking someone's money or property without permission
withholding or limiting money to control someone
pressuring someone to sign documents
forcing someone to sell things or change a will
Most forms of financial abuse are crimes, including theft and fraud

the fi rst person the complainant told about the rape incident and who gives testimony in the trial.