50% of the South African population are living in fear!

21% of females in South Africa experience physical violence at the hand of their partners. This statistic was made public in the Crimes Against Women in South Africa, a document published by Stats SA.

With more than 50% of the South African population being female, this is a very scary statistic. The most worrying part is that almost 50% of these assaults were committed by someone close, like a friend (22%), a spouse or intimate partner (15%), a relative, or another household member (13%). This makes it clear that abusers come in many shapes and sizes.  All South Africans should be aware of these statistics.  There should also be more opportunities to learn how to cope and deal with these types of issues.

The top 3 facts we need to familiarise ourselves with regarding family violence:

1. It is not something that only happens to “other” people.
   Violence happens all around us and we need to equip ourselves with the knowledge to help prevent and ultimately stop domestic violence from happening.
2. Domestic violence is not “only violence if it is physical”.
   This assumption is what causes many people to not be aware that they are suffering abuse. Name-calling, controlling what you wear or eat, or where you go, threating to harm themselves to influence you, are all forms of violence. You do not have to bleed to suffer domestic violence.
3. It’s all about control.
   The common thought is that violence happens from a place of losing control when in fact it is all about gaining control. Acts of violence is always a choice!

E2Learn Academy provides a ‘Family Violence – A Legal Perspective’, online course. This course provides valuable information regarding what family violence really is, why people abuse and how to help people suffering from family violence. From ‘A legal perspective’ how to apply for and the process regarding obtaining a Protection Order. The most important aspect we can obtain from this online course is what we can do to prevent family violence.

You can learn more about this topic at https://e2learn.net/courses/family-violence-a-legal-perspective/