Mabunda Annah, Mokgatle Mathildah Mpata, Madiba Sphiwe
Department of Public Health, School of Health Care Sciences, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria 0208, South Africa.
Independent Researcher, 1 Theart Street, Orchards, Pretoria 0182, South Africa.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2025 May 31;22(6):880. doi: 10.3390/ijerph22060880.
Even though South Africa is a signatory to international declarations that aim to eliminate violence against women, intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a significant problem. While many women eventually leave IPV relationships after enduring violence for a long period, the matter of why women leave IPV relationships is not adequately researched in South Africa. This study explored the turning points that trigger the decision to leave IPV relationships and examined the process of leaving in a sample of women who left their abusive partners. In-depth interviews with 11 women living in shelters of safety for women in Gauteng Province, South Africa, were analyzed using Giorgi's phenomenological analysis method. Leaving IPV relationships was a complex process that involved multiple decisions and actions over time; thus, most women endured many years of abuse. Leaving was triggered by various turning points, resulting in the leaving process being either planned or unplanned. For some of the women, the turning point was a specific violent event, while, for others, it was a culmination of violent events. Severe or escalating violence and the desire to protect their children from the impact of violence were key turning points for most of the women, such that they feared for their lives and that of their children. Overall, turning points played a crucial role in the decisions to leave abusive partners, and the leaving process for women was characterized to a great extent by fear. Understanding the complexities of the process of leaving and the relevance of turning points is essential to informing the development of appropriate interventions to respond more appropriately to women experiencing IPV.
尽管南非是旨在消除针对妇女暴力行为的国际宣言的签署国，但亲密伴侣暴力（IPV）仍然是一个重大问题。虽然许多女性在长期遭受暴力后最终离开了IPV关系，但在南非，关于女性为何离开IPV关系的问题尚未得到充分研究。本研究探讨了触发离开IPV关系决定的转折点，并考察了在离开虐待伴侣的女性样本中的离开过程。使用 Giorgi 的现象学分析方法对来自南非豪登省女性安全庇护所的11名女性进行了深入访谈。离开IPV关系是一个复杂的过程，涉及随着时间推移的多个决定和行动；因此，大多数女性忍受了多年的虐待。离开是由各种转折点引发的，导致离开过程要么是有计划的，要么是无计划的。对一些女性来说，转折点是一个特定的暴力事件，而对另一些女性来说，则是暴力事件的累积。严重或不断升级的暴力以及保护孩子免受暴力影响的愿望是大多数女性的关键转折点，以至于她们担心自己和孩子的生命安全。总体而言，转折点在决定离开虐待伴侣方面起着至关重要的作用，并且女性的离开过程在很大程度上以恐惧为特征。了解离开过程的复杂性以及转折点的相关性对于制定适当的干预措施以更恰当地应对遭受IPV的女性至关重要。
