‘I just want to live’: A case study exploring separation abuse among women in heterosexual relationships

Abstract

Intimate partner violence is a public health and human rights concern. We aimed to explore the lived experiences of women survivors of separation abuse. Our informants were four South African women who experienced separation abuse by a partner. The women completed semi-structured interviews on their separation experiences and life plans. Following Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, we determined four themes to characterise the women’s experiences: (i) still being fearful of partner; (ii) abusive attempts at power and control over children; (iii) insufficient protection from partner violence; and (iv) resilient living. The experience of separation abuse is an extension of intimate partner violence and is less well studied in developing country settings.