Home is the most dangerous place: UCT report on cycles of violence against women and children

Brenda was only 16 when she was allegedly raped by her father’s friend, a man she trusted because he lived in the police barracks. He had offered her a lift home but stopped at his flat, saying he needed to collect something. It was there, at the police barracks, that he allegedly raped her.

It took Brenda six months to tell anyone what had happened. “I blamed myself,” she said. When she later disclosed the sexual assault to her aunt, her mother’s own memories of sexual violence resurfaced.

Brenda’s story is one of several case studies featured in the South African Child Gauge 2025, released on Tuesday by the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Children’s Institute. The annual publication tracks the realisation of children’s rights and supports evidence-based policymaking. This year’s edition explores the intersection between violence against women and children, revealing how abuse often runs through generations, linking trauma, inequality and silence.

‘I had to be my mother’s protector’

Brenda’s early childhood was marked by instability and domestic abuse. Her father often came home drunk, bringing other women to their home and assaulting her mother in front of her.

“I started cooking and cleaning when I was 13,” Brenda told researchers. “I had to attend parent meetings at school. I also had to be my mother’s protector. Every time my father hit her, I would go to the police station to open a case, but when I was raped by my father’s friend, I blamed myself.”

Her mother, who had also been raped as a young woman, told researchers her self-worth was destroyed by that experience. “I was told I was rubbish, that no decent man would ever want me,” she said. This shame and trauma made it harder for her to leave her abusive husband.

The Child Gauge notes that such patterns are common.

“Experiencing violence in early childhood, including witnessing it, increases the risk of girls becoming victims and boys becoming perpetrators of violence,” the report states. “It also raises the likelihood of parents using corporal punishment, driving an intergenerational cycle of violence.”

Home is the most dangerous place

Prof Shanaaz Matthews of UCT’s faculty of health sciences said violence against women and children is driven by a complex web of interrelated factors, including childhood trauma, exposure to violence in homes and communities and learnt behaviour.

“These factors increase the likelihood of victimisation and perpetration, and of displacing aggression,” she said.

According to the Child Gauge, 24% of South African women aged 18 and older have experienced physical or sexual intimate partner violence, while 42% of children have experienced maltreatment, emotional abuse or neglect by an adult meant to care for them.

The report also reveals that violence is most prevalent in townships and rural areas, where children often experience multiple forms of abuse at home, in schools and in their communities.

“In South Africa, the home remains the most dangerous place for women and children,” the report says. “Violence in homes is deeply entrenched and disproportionately affects women and children.”

Gender, power and silence

The report identifies key risk factors driving violence against women and children: gender inequality, male dominance, relationship conflict, ineffective institutions, weak legal sanctions and the harmful use of alcohol and drugs.

“Household experiences of violence are deeply gendered,” the report notes.

“Boys are more likely to experience physical punishment at home under the guise of discipline, reinforcing harmful norms that equate masculinity with aggression. Though legally banned, corporal punishment remains widespread, particularly against boys, and contributes to cycles of violence in adulthood.”

Girls face higher risks of sexual and emotional abuse in their homes, often at the hands of male relatives or intimate partners.

“While men are more likely to experience violence in public spaces, they are typically safe at home, unlike women and children, for whom the home is the most dangerous place,” the report adds.

Breaking the cycle

Prof Mercilene Machisa, a senior specialist scientist at the South African Medical Research Council, said patriarchy remains a central driver of violence.

“Patriarchy is a social system in which men hold power and authority, supported by societal norms that favour men, normalise violence and marginalise women and children.”

Machisa called for ongoing, participatory community engagement that includes faith and traditional leaders, men and boys and prioritises women’s and children’s voices.

“Communities can challenge harmful social norms by creating safer spaces for dialogue and developing strategies that strengthen social cohesion and support for affected women and children,” she said.

A burden on the health system

Lucy Jamieson, senior researcher at UCT’s Children’s Institute, said violence places an enormous burden on the health, social services and criminal justice systems.

“In every country violence against women and children carries profound individual, social and economic costs. The long-term effects on individuals are devastating,” she said. “Children who experience violence face higher risks of mental health conditions and struggle with learning and socialisation, which hinders their future potential.”

Researchers emphasise that addressing the intersection of violence against women and children demands more than words; it requires systemic transformation across all levels of society.

“Ending violence means reimagining the spaces where women and children should feel safest, their homes,” Jamieson said.

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