Transcript Medical Research Council

Comparing Female Homicide and
Intimate Femicide in South Africa
1999: 2009
Presenter: Naeemah Abrahams
Investigators: Dr Shanaaz Mathews, Prof Naeemah Abrahams,
Prof Rachel Jewkes and Prof Lorna Martin
Definitions
• Female Homicide
– Killing of a woman
• Intimate femicide (IF)
• Killing of a women (age 14+) by an intimate partner (current and ex
husband/boyfriend/same sex partner)
• Non intimate femicide (NIF)
– Killing by a woman by a non partner
• Suspected Rape Homicide
– Evidence of rape present (forensic and/or police)
• Convicted
– convicted for homicide or culpable homicide
• Intimate suicides
– Perpetrator suicide following the murder
Background
• Intimate femicide is the most extreme form of GBV
Number of homicide cases
Less 1430
Less 325
Less 567
Proportion of Intimate Femicide & Non
Intimate Femicide
Population rates for 1999 and 2009
1999
per 100 000 Population
(95% CI)
2009
per 100 000 Population
(95% CI)
Overall Female
Homicide
24.7 (17.7-31.6)
12.9 (9.3-16.5)
Intimate Femicide
8.8 (6.2-11.2)
5.6 (4.0-7.2)
Non Intimate
Femicide
8.6 (6.2-11.1)
4.2 (3.0-5.5)
Rape Homicide
3.4 (1.6-5.2)
2.5 (1.7-3.3)
Gun Homicide
7.5 (3.6-11.3)
2.5 (1.6-3.5)
• US IF rate = 2.0/100 000
Mean Age
Intimate Femicide Population rates: Race &
Age
1999
Per 100 000 population
2009
Per 100 000 population
14-29 yrs
10.3
6.0
30-44 yrs
12.8
8.5
45-59 yrs
3.5
3.2
60+ yrs
1.5
0.7
African
8.8
5.7
Coloured
18.3
10.1
Indian
4.9
3.5
White
2.8
1.5
Cases with no perpetrator data
Rape homcides
Mechanism of death
Guns
Gun homicide decline in terms of
number of cases
1999
All female gun homicide 1147
2009
462
Decrease
685
Intimate femicide gun
murders
405
179
226
Non intimate femicide
gun murders
435
132
303
No Perpetrator data
307
151
156
Blood Alcohol Concentration(BAC):
Western Cape
• Data only available for Western Cape (unweighted)
• Legal limit – 0.04 grams/100ml
1999 (n – 153)
2009 ( n = 88)
Cases with + BAC
62.1%
59.0%
Median:
0.11grams/100 ml
0.24 grams/100ml
Mean
Range
0.20 grams/100 ml
0.01-0.41grams/ 100ml
0.22 grams/100 ml
0.01-0.46 grams/ 100ml
BAC by mechanism of death
History of intimate partner violence
Convictions
Conclusions
• The comparison of two identical surveys – ten years apart provide us
with an opportunity to monitor GBV
• Overall reduction in female homicide
• Intimate femicide decrease less the - leading cause for female
homicides in SA
• 3 woman killed by a intimate partner per day in SA in 2009 –
– most likely a underestimate (1/5 of murders no perpetrator were identified)
• Evidence that work on IPV & GBV prevention is not effective – if it has
been then we should have seen a bigger reduction in IF murders
– Rape Homicides increased for NIF
• No evidence that Police investigations have improved
• Convictions have decreased
• Significant reduction in gun murders provide evidence that the Gun
Control Legislation is working
Recommendations
• We need a co-ordinated – evidence based approach to
prevention of GBV – with an accountable government body
• Police investigations and justice systems must give female
murders attention as a priority crime
• Strengthen and support our Gun Control Legislation
• Use this survey as a monitoring tool in the absence of good
national data ... Provides insights on progress made to gaining
gender equity in country... Recommend survey be repeated
every 5 years