Policy Briefings (Nursing and Midwifery)

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Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in South Africa : how to break the vicious cycle
(Alan J Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health (CPMH) Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, 2015-11) Joyner, Kate; Rees, Kate; Honikman, Simone
ENGLISH SUMMARY : Half of women murdered in South Africa are killed by their intimate partner. Our country has reported the highest rates of such murders in the world.1 However, the devastating physical, mental and social consequences of this problem are mostly hidden. There is very strong evidence that intimate partner violence (IPV) exists in a vicious cycle with HIV, mental illness, poor reproductive health, poor childhood development and chronic disease, and leads to numerous injuries, disability and death.2,3 Abused women are twice as likely as non-abused women to report physical and mental health problems.4 This problem is costly since women in abusive relationships make greater use of health and other services.