Browsing by Author "Matsika, Abel Blessing"
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- ItemIntimate partner violence in Zimbabwe: Views of service providers contributing factors and implications for social work practice(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-12) Matsika, Abel Blessing; Slabbert, Ilze; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Social Work.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major global challenge, and in Africa, IPV is particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan countries. IPV knows no cultural, ethnic, geographic, religious, social, or economic boundaries and is furthermore usually perpetrated by male partners who misuse their power. In Zimbabwe, despite progressive legislation to reduce violence against women, the number of IPV cases is growing. There are several factors that could contribute to IPV on a micro-, meso-, and macro-level. These factors need to be taken into consideration when social work and other related services are rendered to abused women. It is against this background that the study was conducted. The goal of the study was to gain an understanding of the views of service providers on factors contributing to intimate partner violence in Zimbabwe, and to explore the implications for social work intervention. In order to achieve this goal, five objectives were formulated and a qualitative study with an explorative and descriptive nature was conducted. The ecological perspective was chosen as a theoretical framework for this study. Ethical clearance was obtained before the researcher collected data in Hopley, a poverty-stricken area, 20 km outside of Harare. COVID-19 regulations were adhered to whilst the data were collected. Three cohorts were utilised during data collection. The first cohort was made up of key informants who were representatives of Government and NGOs or individuals who were implementing programmes to curb IPV in the research area. The fourteen key informants who took part in the study had to complete a semi-structured questionnaire that was emailed to them. The second cohort consisted of community popular opinion leaders who were active in the research area with the aim to empower women and who would report any abusive or discriminatory acts against women. In this cohort two face-to-face focus group discussions were conducted with 23 participants. The third cohort involved seven community popular opinion leaders (who were not part of the focus group discussions) with whom telephonic interviews were conducted. Thus, in total, 44 participants took part in this study. he data were analysed into six themes, namely understanding of IPV, types of IPV common in the study area, factors that contributed to IPV on a micro-level, factors that contributed to IPV on a meso-level, factors that contributed to IPV on a macro-level, and intervention strategies. These themes were further ordered into relevant sub- themes and categories. The data were also verified by making use of triangulation, member checks, and reflexivity. The main findings of the study indicate that there are several factors on a micro-, meso- and macro-level that contribute to IPV. It was also found that the intervention strategies to reduce IPV in the study area remained problematic due to the lack of resources and social work service rendering. Finally, it was concluded that social workers have a major role to play in the provision of services to victims and perpetrators of IPV on a primary, secondary, and tertiary level. The recommendations focus on the crucial role that social workers should play in rendering services in the IPV field and in other areas that concentrate on the empowerment of women, and specifically in vulnerable areas such as Hopley.