Women Shelter Residents' Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence: A Digital Storytelling Project

Mabaso, Karabo

Women Shelter Residents' Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence: A Digital Storytelling Project

Master Thesis

2022

Abstract

Intimate partner violence and more generally gender-based violence (GBV) are worldwide issues that threaten the health of the public and people's rights, and South Africa is no exception. In the context of South Africa, IPV is especially prevalent in contexts of high levels of violence against women, shaped by intersectional factors such as race, class, and culture, and various forms of power that perpetrate and perpetuate inequality and dominance over women. Understanding the contextual factors behind IPV from the viewpoint of women survivors is critical to obtaining a thorough understanding of the various contexts in which it occurs. This is crucial for understanding the identities implicated in violent experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of South African women in shelters who experienced violence. Using intersectionality theory as a lens, it examined how racial, cultural, and class-related identity markers influence and shape IPV. Participatory action research (PAR) methodologies and digital storytelling (DST) in visual and digital formats were used to explore the narratives and experiences of women exposed to IPV. Purposive sampling was used to recruit a sample of nine women residing at St Anne's Homes, a shelter for abused women and children situated in Cape Town. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with each participant. In addition, a half-day DST training workshop was conducted for the women where they were trained on DST. Thereafter, the women were asked to take images and videos that represented their narratives of violence. The interviews, images, and digital stories were transcribed and analysed through a thematic narrative analysis. Six themes around women's experiences of violence and the support received from the shelter were established. Themes covered: ‘narratives of loneliness and feeling stuck'; ‘narratives of control'; ‘drugs and alcohol: a cause and response to IPV'; ‘consequences of abuse'; ‘narratives of escaping'; and ‘shelter: refuge, empowerment, and independence'. A key contribution of this study was women's narration of the impact of structural inequalities on their experiences. Furthermore, the women constructed a variety of reasons for their experiences of abuse, notably with drug and alcohol abuse among them. Another key finding dealt with the women's identities as mothers and how this was central to their motivation to escape their abusive environments. By using DST to advance a social justice agenda, the method was able to create a space for particular narratives to emerge.