NCJ Number
237850
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 25 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2010 Pages: 877-899
Date Published
May 2010
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This study investigated homicide-suicide in Durban, South Africa, for the years 2000 to 2001.
Abstract
The incidence was 0.89 per 100,000, higher than the international average. A majority of perpetrators (91percent) and victims (87 percent) were Black African, proportional to their representation in the population. Perpetrators were typically men (in 95 percent of cases), older than, and intimate partners (in 75 percent of cases) of the female victims (in 100 percent of cases). Average ages of perpetrators and victims were 32 and 27, respectively. The security sector was overrepresented as an employment category for perpetrators. A firearm was used in 87 percent of the homicides and 80 percent of the suicides. The individuals involved in homicide-suicides in Durban are similar to homicide-suicide perpetrators and victims in industrialized countries. The fact that homicide-suicides in South Africa, as in most countries, involve almost exclusively men killing female intimates confirms the importance of examining and challenging social norms enabling male violence against women. (Published Abstract)