Legislative response to family violence in South Africa: A family centered perspective

South Africa has instituted many legislative and constitutional changes since 1994 to combat violence. Regardless of these legislative developments, South Africa has some of the most endemic rates of violence in the world with most of these high rates of violence located within family violence. In response, South African legislation drew from a number of international and regional commitments as well as constitutional amendments to facilitate an enhanced family environment which promoted family well-being and functioning. However, legislatively, family violence is still fragmented in its respective subsets of intimate partner violence, child abuse and elder abuse. Disregarding family violence in the holistic sense, fragmented sectors and efforts to comprehensively and adequately prevent or reduce the rates of family violence. Through a family centered perspective, this paper aimed to review the various legislation used to address family violence within the South African context.