SAMRC researchers funded to launch a longitudinal study on the impact of intimate partner violence on women and their children
Cape Town, South Africa | Professor Rachel Jewkes has been awarded a grant by The Wellcome Trust for Discovery Research on the impact of intimate partner violence on women and children.
South Africa has amongst the highest rates of intimate partner femicide globally, with large numbers of women and children exposed to intimate partner violence each year. Not only does this have an enduring impact on the health and well-being of women subjected to violence, but an added consequence is that it fuels intergenerational cycles of violence. The children of women survivors are themselves more at risk of later IPV.
This multi-year research programme aims to understand the impact of IPV on women’s lives, including elucidating the risk factors for the most severe health impacts, including intimate partner femicide. It aims to understand what happens after women seek help after experiencing IPV and to what extent they are assisted by services available. Moreover, it seeks to understand how exposure to IPV in the home impacts children’s risk of IPV in their later lives.
The study will be conducted in Limpopo, Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and the Western Cape. It will be led by a multidisciplinary team, with contributions from epidemiology, psychology, health economics, social work, the law, and art and play-based therapy. The team will work closely with key stakeholders and including Government Departments. The insights gained will hugely advance our understanding of how effective are our measures to support and protect survivors of IPV, and what more needs to be done to assist survivors of violence and their children.
NOTE TO EDITORS
The Wellcome Trust article on the research funded click here: https://wellcome.org/news/supporting-discovery-research-across-globe
For more enquiries:
- Prof Rachel Jewkes
Gender and Health Research Unit: Scientist
Email: Rachel.Jewkes@mrc.ac.za - Ms Yolanda Phakela
Public Relations Manager
Email: Yolanda.Phakela@mrc.ac.za
Cell: 073 801 3691 - Dr Ebrahim Samodien
Science Writer and Editor
Email: Ebrahim.Samodien@mrc.ac.za