A psycho-educational programme of support to couples experiencing domestic violence in rural communities of Limpopo Province

D.Phil.The extent of the problem of domestic violence within the rural communities challenges all individuals to be involved in fighting the problem. This calls for a change in mindset that issues of domestic violence are communal rather than private. Resources such as shelters are not available in the whole Province and this makes it difficult for the victim to secure a safe home. The community needs to be involved in providing the necessary support to couples experiencing domestic violence such as provision of a home to the victims and their children in times of need. The community should stop victim blaming and make the perpetrator accountable for his behaviour. The overall aim of this study is to develop, implement and evaluate a psycho-educational programme of support to couples experiencing domestic violence to facilitate their mental health. The researcher had prolonged engagement with the victims of domestic violence and the communities, which are involved. A programme development, qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, evaluative and contextual study was conducted. Four steps were used to develop, implement and evaluate a psycho-educational programme of support to couples experiencing domestic violence. The first step involved situation analysis and key stakeholders were identified. Phenomenological interviews were conducted with the victims and perpetrators of domestic violence. The interviews were conducted to explore and describe the phenomenon of victims and perpetrators of domestic· violence. Focus group and individual interviews were conducted with stakeholders who deal with domestic violence to describe their views regarding domestic violence