Zikhethele: Using the Law to end Domestic Violence

Zikhethele: Using the Law to end Domestic Violence

The Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998 came into operation on 15 December 1999. This new Act was generally welcomed for trying to fill in gaps in the preceding legislation. Unfortunately, the Act is quite complicated and not always easy to understand.

For this reason, the Gender Project, in association with Tshwaranang Legal Advocacy Centre, has produced a booklet to explain the new legal provisions in accessible language. The booklet also sets out other legal options available to victims of domestic violence, such as making a case with police, getting divorced from the abuser and claiming maintenance for young children.

-- written by Lebogang Malepe & Helene Combrinck, 2000