The purpose of this research was to describe and explain family violence in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. It was conducted by means of a literature review, followed by empirical research, based on police dockets, against the background of Seligman's theory on learned helplessness. Other theories were also applied eclectically. The literature review was used to design a research schedule (questionnaire). This schedule was used for data capturing from police dockets from the Crime Information Analysis Centre (CIAC) at their Gauteng Regional office in Johannesburg. From this data, a convenience sample consisting of 415 cases, was compiled. These cases were reported at the charge offices of Laudium, Alexandra, Hillbrow, Rietgat, Eersterust and Mamelodi, during the period between 1 January 2001 and 1 March 2002.
Domestic violence is caused by macrosocial-, gender- and relationship factors. These causes can be explained by certain aspects of structural- process- reaction and the learned helplesness theories. The adjudication of this causes and explanations focus on primary, secondary and tersiary aspects of prevention. Triggering facors, confrontation, crime incidents and restoring the equalibrium were studied in relation to the dynamics of domestic violence. All these factors such as causes, explanations, prevention and dynamics , are considered to explain the stabilization of domestic violence.Die doel van hierdie navorsing was om gesinsgeweld in die Gauteng-Provinsie van
Suid-Afrika te beskryf en te verklaar. E)it is gedoen aan die hand van 'n
literatuurstudie, en is uitgebrei met 'n empiiiese ondersoek wat op polisiedossiere
gebaseer is, teen die agtergrond van Seligman se teorie van aangeleerde
hulpeloosheid, asook ander teoriee wat eklekties bygewerk is. Die literahmrstudie is
gebrnik om 'n skedule (vraelys) te ontwerp. Die navorsingskedule is gebruik vir
datavangs uit polisiedossiere. Die polisiedossiere van die Misdaadinligting-
Analisesentrum (MIAS) van Gauteng se streekkantoor in Johannesburg is gebruik vir
die samestelling van 'n geriefHkheidsteekproef bestaande uit 415 gevalle. Hierdie
gevalle kom uit die aanmeldings by die aanklagkantore van Laudium, Alexandra,
Hillbrow, Rietgat Eersterust en Mamelodi, tussen 1 Jamiaiie 2001 en 1 Maart 2002.
Makrososiale faktore, geslagsrolsosialisering en verhoudingsfaktore veroorsaak
gesinsgeweld. Sekere elemente van die struktuur- proses- reaksie- en aangeleerde
hulpeloosheidsteoriee kan dit verklaar. Die beregting van bogenoemde fokus op
primere, sekondere en tersiere voorkomingsaksies. Die dinamika waarop gefokus
word met betrekking tot gesinsgeweld sluit in aspekte soos: die snellerfaktore,
konfrontasie, die praktiese misdaadinsident en uiteindelik die herstelde ekwillibrium.
A1 die faktore (oorsake, verklarings, voorkoming en dinamika) lei uiteindelik tot die
stadium waar waar verduidelik word hoe gesinsgeweld gestabilliseer word.Criminology and Security ScienceD. Litt. et Phil. (Criminology