Research glossary

Any abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power or trust for
sexual purposes; this includes profiting momentarily, socially or politically
from the sexual exploitation of another. Sexual exploitation is one of the
purposes of trafficking in persons (performing in a sexual manner, forced
undressing and/or nakedness, coerced marriage, forced childbearing,
engagement in pornography or prostitution, sexual extortion for the
granting of goods, services, assistance benefits, sexual slavery).

Using technology to assume the identity of someone else in order to access private information, embarrass or shame them, contact them, or create fraudulent identity documents. This could include sending offensive emails from someone else’s email account or calling someone from an unknown number to avoid the call being blocked.

Incest is sexual activity between close family members, such as a parent and child, siblings, or other blood relatives. In South Africa, incest is illegal, regardless of whether the act appears to be “consensual,” because of the inherent power imbalance and the risk of coercion.

Incest often involves abuse of trust and authority, especially when an older family member uses their position to manipulate, threaten, or silence a younger or more vulnerable relative. It can cause deep and long-lasting trauma, including shame, confusion, fear, and difficulties with trust and relationships later in life.

Sexual relations between close relatives, such as between father and daughter, mother and son, sister and
brother (National Center on Sexual Behavior of Youth, 2003) . It is also called sexual abuse within the family.

The killing of young children, within weeks of birth, often by burying them alive (Brody and Melcher 1985).
Infanticide was often committed by fathers, grandfathers, or a member of the family who has power.

Infantilization “is a form of abuse in which a competent adult or young adult is treated like a child.” [1]

Infantilization can occur with individuals or communities that lack power including older adults, women, racialized communities, LGBTQ individuals, adolescents, individuals with disabilities and more. Infantilization can lead to negative stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, oppressive policies, and even violence

Intergenerational trauma is the transmission of historical oppression and its negative consequences across generations.” it is a collective complex trauma inflicted on a group of people who share a specific group identity or affiliation-ethnicity, nationality, and religious affiliation. It is the legacy of numerous traumatic events a community experiences over generations and encompasses the psychological and social responses to such events.

the role of the intermediary is to convey the evidence-related questions from the prosecution or the
defence to the child in a manner which is understandable to the child. In carrying out this duty, the intermediary has
two specifi c functions: to protect the child against hostile cross-examination and to assist the child in understanding the
questions posed. The child will, therefore, only talk to the intermediary during the court proceedings.

Approach to analyzing social relations and structures in a given society. Intersectional approaches recognize that every person’s identity is made up of multiple identity categories such as (but not limited to) ability, attraction, body size, citizenship, class, creed, ethnicity, gender expression, gender identity, race, religion. The ways a person may experience systemic privilege and oppression are affected by the intersection of these identity categories, depending on how they are valued by social institutions.

Intersectionality refers to overlapping social identities and the related systems of oppression and domination that use these to marginalise and exclude. Although all women face discrimination some women face multiple forms of oppression because of their race, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic background, abilities and sexual orientation, which in turn shapes their experiences of violence. Intersectionality looks at the relationships between these different forms of oppression and allows for analysis of social problems more fully, shapes more effective interventions, and promotes more inclusive responses.

An umbrella term to capture various types of biological sex differentiation. Intersex people have variations in their sex characteristics, such as sex chromosomes, internal reproductive organs, genitalia, and/or secondary sex characteristics (e.g. muscle mass, breasts) that fall outside of what is typically categorized as male or female

The term Intersex refers to a person whose chromosomal, hormonal or anatomical sex characteristics fall outside the conventional classifications of male or female.

Threatened, attempted, or completed physical or sexual violence or emotional abuse by a current or former
intimate partner. IPV can be committed by a spouse, an ex-spouse, a current or former boyfriend or girlfriend,
or a dating partner (Legal Profession Assistance Conference, 2011). It is also called spousal violence when it
occurs in a marital relationship.

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a pattern of abusive behaviour that occurs within a romantic or intimate relationship. This can include current or former partners, whether dating, living together, married, or separated.
IPV can be physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, or financial. It often involves controlling behaviour such as extreme jealousy, isolating someone from friends and family, monitoring phones or social media, threats, intimidation, or coercion. IPV may begin subtly and escalate over time.

IPV is a form of domestic violence. While domestic violence is a broader term that includes abuse within families or households, IPV specifically refers to abuse between intimate partners.

a husband, cohabiting partner, boyfriend or lover, or ex-husband, ex-partner, ex- boyfriend or exlover.

Physical, sexual, emotional (psychological) or financial harm done by a current or former intimate partner(s) or spouse(s). Intimate partner violence can happen in a marriage, common-law or dating relationship; in a heterosexual or LGBTQ2 (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and Two-Spirit) relationship; at any time in a relationship, including after it has ended; and, whether or not partners live together or are sexually intimate with one another.

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
Intimate partner violence often occurs as physical violence. However, there are many other forms of violence or abuse, including emotional abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse and financial abuse. Intimate partner violence also has a criminal component, as it can involve criminal offences such as assault, uttering threats or harassment, and can even lead to homicide.

Intimate partner violence usually consists of a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviours, including physical, sexual and psychological attacks, as well as economic coercion, by a current or former intimate partner.

a member of the South African Police Service responsible for the investigation of an alleged
sexual offence or any other offence.

is the procedure to gather facts about a rape incident.