Theories of Domestic Violence in the African Context

Abstract

By the mid-1990s, attention had begun to be paid in most African countries to the widespread problem of domestic violence. Studies about partner abuse and femicide-both informal, anecdotal studies and more formal surveys-appeared in Ghana, Tanzania, and South Africa, for example. Much of the initial writing was intended simply to document the existence of such violence and thus to construct it as a social problem. At the same time, activist groups in a number of countries such as Ghana, Uganda, and Kenya began lobbying for the passage of domestic violence codes, although only South Africa and Mauritius have passed such statutes to date. Women's rights activists in several countries, notably Zimbabwe and South Africa, established organizations that counsel abused women, offer legal assistance, and in some instances provide domestic violence training to government personnel. In Ghana and South Africa, specialized units within the police force were set up to address domestic violence problems affecting women and children. Shelters for abused women have now been set up by non-governmental organizations ( NGOs) in those two countries, as well as in Mauritius, Nigeria, Senegal, and other places.

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