Essay On Battered Wives Syndrome
1 Introduction
Whether it be due to the ever prominent abuse of alcohol, or to the raging tempers due to everyday stresses of living in South Africa at the present moment, it can be said that perpetual domestic violence has found a place in our society, as those cases are increasingly being reported. The term ‘Battered Women’s Syndrome’ is used when referring to cases regarding a cycle of domestic violence, and through the course of this essay, this Syndrome will be investigated using a variety of sources - including South African and International case law - in order to discover whether, and to what extent, Battered Wives Syndrome constitutes a defence to a charge of murder in terms of South African law.
2 Battered Wives Syndrome
A battered wife can be defined as someone – not necessarily a woman – who is subjected to perpetual domestic violence over an extended period of time to the extent that the violence develops into a cycle. This means that the abused is never sure when or where the next attack will take place.
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