Intimate partner violence is one of the most common forms of violence against women and includes physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and controlling behaviours by an intimate partner. Intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs in all settings and among all socioeconomic, religious and cultural groups. 

• Although women can be violent in relationships with men, often in self-defence, and violence sometimes occurs in same-sex partnerships, the most common perpetrators of violence against women are male intimate partners or ex-partners.
• By contrast, men are far more likely to experience violent acts by strangers or acquaintances than by someone close to them.

Forms of Intimate partner violence

• IPV refers to any behaviour within an intimate relationship that causes physical, psychological or sexual harm to those in the relationship. 
•  Acts of physical violence, such as slapping, hitting, kicking and beating.
•  Sexual violence, including forced sexual intercourse and other forms of sexual coercion.
• Emotional (psychological) abuse, such as insults, belittling, constant humiliation, intimidation (e.g. destroying things), threats of harm, and threats to take away children.
• Controlling behaviours, including isolating a person from family and friends; monitoring their movements; and restricting access to financial resources, employment, education or medical care.

Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life. It refers to violence directed at a woman because she is a woman, and that affects her disproportionately.

It takes a range of forms, including but not limited to the following

• intimate partner violence; 
• non-partner sexual assault; 
• trafficking; 
• so-called honour crimes; 
• sexual harassment and exploitation; 
• stalking 
• witchcraft-related violence; 
• gender-related killings.

According to the Domestic Violence Act No. 116 of 1998, it is:

• any form of abuse which includes physical, sexual, emotional, psychological or economic harassment,
• damage to property,
• stalking,
• entry into a person’s property without their consent,
• any other abusive or controlling behaviour where such conduct causes harm or may cause harm to your health, safety, or well being.

• Also known as female homicide, is generally understood to involve intentional murder of women because they are women but broader definitions include any killing of women or girls.
• Femicide is defined as the killing of a female person or perceived female person on the basis of gender identity, whether committed within the domestic relationship, interpersonal relationship or by any other person, or whether perpetrated or tolerated by the State or its agents and private sources. Intimate femicide refers to the killing of a female by an intimate partner.

The term “violence and harassment” in the world of work refers to a range of unacceptable behaviours and practices, or threats thereof, whether a single occurrence or repeated, that aim at, result in, or are likely to result in physical, psychological, sexual or economic harm, and includes gender-based violence and harassment.

The term “gender-based violence and harassment” means violence and harassment directed at persons because of their sex or gender or affecting persons of a particular sex or gender disproportionately and includes sexual harassment