The trial of a woman who allegedly killed her partner is set to start.
- The Centre for Applied Legal Studies is defending a mother of two who is accused of killing her allegedly abusive partner.
- The trial against the woman begins in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
- The woman was denied bail and has been away from her children for 22 months.
The trial of a mother of two accused of killing her allegedly abusive partner during an incident of domestic violence will begin in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
The woman will be defended by the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), which will be bringing expert evidence to give the court an understanding of the patterns of abuse that occur both in South Africa and their client’s life.
“The almost inevitable culmination of escalating domestic violence is that someone will die, most often women,” the head of the gender justice programme at CALS, Sheena Swemmer, said in a statement.
“In some instances, victims of abuse may respond to violence. For them, it literally becomes a situation of ‘him or me’. What we’re arguing is that our courts need to take this phenomenon into account, to engage properly with psychological aspects of domestic violence and trauma,” she added.
READ| Femicide : Govt should respond to gender abuse with the same vigour as Covid-19, say activists
According to the CALS, the woman had spent a year facing beatings from him so severe she suffered a miscarriage prior to his death.
In addition, she was denied bail and has been awaiting trial away from her children for the past 22 months.
“Domestic violence is recognised as a widespread and life-threatening problem globally, and one that particularly affects women and children.
“Though data can be difficult to gather because of the nature of domestic violence occurring in private spaces and the challenges survivors face in reporting abuse, it is thought that up to 50% of women will experience intimate-partner violence in their lifetimes in our country,” the CALS said.
News24 reached out to the Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority for comment; however, it had not received comment confirming the charges. It will be added once received.
Did you know you can comment on this article? Subscribe to News24 and add your voice to the conversation.
