The number of incidents of domestic violence in which especially women, children and the elderly are the victims, appear to be continually on the increase in South Africa. An act of domestic violence often starts a debilitating cycle of violence from which the victim find it increasingly difficult to escape. This can then lead to repeated victimization and repeated offending and sometimes eventually spirals into fatality.
Victims are most likely to know their attackers.
Domestic violence as a key feature in gender-based violence is further confirmed by city surveys conducted in 1998 by various reputable organisations in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. Domestic violence therefore constitutes a significant proportion of all violent crimes committed in South Africa. Victims of domestic violence incidents are almost always the most vulnerable members of society, namely women and children. The vulnerable status of these groups of people is widely recognised and international Conventions have been drafted to improve the protection of these groups. The South African government has ratified these two Conventions.