South Africans are frequently reminded of just how violent the country is. Attacks on foreign nationals and the killing of women and children have been prominent in the news. The latest crime statistics show that between 2018 and 2019, murder, assault and sexual offences rates increased.
Our studies of families in the Western Cape province show some links between family life and violence in society. The families in these studies were from urban and rural communities with high rates of violence, crime, gangsterism, poverty, substance abuse, school dropouts and teenage pregnancy. We looked at how well families are doing, their resilience under difficult circumstances, and the relationship between family conflict and aggression among children aged 10-12. We have also examined why sex offenders re-offend and the relationship between healthy family life and family satisfaction.
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