Midrand police communications officer Constable Matome Tlamela said Domestic Violence and Victim Empowerment co-ordinator Constable Belebesi Nanty was at the station to help domestic violence victims.
Tlamela explained, “Domestic violence is a pattern of behaviour which involves the abuse of one partner by another in an intimate relationship such as marriage, cohabitation, dating or within the family. It can occur in many forms. All forms of domestic abuse have one purpose: to gain and maintain control over the victim.”
She warned that both women and men could be victims of domestic violence.
Tlamela said physical abuse is contact that intends to cause pain or injury, and includes:
- Suffering or bodily harm such as hitting, slapping
- Denying of medical care when it is needed
- Depriving the victim of sleep
- Inflicting physical injury on other targets, such as children or pets, in order to cause psychological harm to the victim.
She said that sexual abuse in a domestic setting includes:
- Forcing a person to engage in sexual activity against his or her will even if that person is a spouse or intimate partner. It is an act of aggression and violence.
- A sexual act involving a person who is unable to understand the nature of the act, including being under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
Tlamela said emotional or psychological abuse was any behaviour that threatens, intimidates and humiliates the victim privately or publicly. It includes:
- Controlling the victim’s freedom
- Withholding information from the victim
- Deliberately doing something to make the victim feel embarrassed
- Constant criticism, name calling and making statements that damage the victim’s self-esteem
Tlamela explained economic abuse is a form of abuse where one intimate partner has control over the other partner’s access to economic resources. It involves:
- Preventing a spouse from earning her/his own income
- Limiting the amount of resources for use by the victim
- Exploiting the economic resources of the victim
- Denying the victim access to money or other basic necessities
Details: Domestic Violence and Victim Empowerment co-ordinator, Constable Belebesi Nanty, 082 649 8775 or midrand.communication @saps.gov.za
