Gender-based violence (GBV) against deaf women was a growing concern despite considerable attention being given in society to this form of violence against women, a study at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) has found.
Dr Ronel Davids (pictured above), from the Department of Social Work, and Ms Maria van Staden, from UWC’s Gender Equity Unit revealed that deafness made women more vulnerable to GBV. They called for more accessible and inclusive public education and awareness campaigns.
Dr. Davids and Ms Van Staden explained: “Deafness makes women who are deaf specifically vulnerable to GBV due to the impact of their deafness on their social well-being and quality of life. Unfortunately, there is relatively little research on the prevalence of GBV among women who are deaf, making it challenging to identify the most impacted and where interventions are most needed.”
The pair found in their research that deaf women faced barriers in accessing social networks, medical services, and justice services, among others, because South African Sign Language (SASL) was not widely understood.
They argued that this led to a lack of support for deaf women who are victims of GBV and resulted in a second wave of trauma. The support intended to help them may not be accessible, which further exacerbated their challenges.
“Deaf women are at a greater risk of GBV. Developing targeted services and support for these women is essential, with dedicated training for healthcare workers, medical staff and justice staff in the field of GBV and deafness, which includes deaf culture and South African sign language,” the pair wrote in their study.
The GBV experiences of deaf women were further exacerbated by the difficulty of not understanding the terminology used in GBV vocabulary.
“More commonly, communication with deaf survivors is done ineffectively through lip-reading and writing notes back and forth. This could lead to miscommunication, confusion and frustration on the part of the deaf person not understanding the words used. Unfortunately, deaf women may be unable to communicate their experiences because of the unfamiliarity with GBV jargon.”
Dr Davids and Ms Van Staden conducted four workshops, with each consisting of 20 deaf women, to explore the women’s perceptions of GBV, their understanding of GBV terminology and what constitutes GBV.
“Many believe that they cannot get raped in their marriage, forced sex in a marriage is not rape.”
The study found that the women gave in to sexual pressure from their husbands for fear there would otherwise be conflicts in their homes. Many of the participants felt that they were experiencing this type of abuse but did not know it was called marital rape.
The study added: “One participant had reported her husband to the police and laid a charge of marital rape, but nothing came of the case as the police did not understand her. No sign language interpreter was available to her.”
The study's findings will contribute to a policy brief for the City of Cape Town’s Diversity and Gender Unit, which will guide the creation of effective strategies and solutions for dealing with GBV issues faced by deaf women. Their findings will help inform practical interventions and solutions to tackle the issues of GBV on deaf women, they said.
“These creative strategies can be in the form of practical interventions and support services that are survivor-centred and culturally sensitive for a person who is Deaf that address the gender imbalances in society and, in this case - in the deaf community.”
Listen to Dr Ronel Davids speaking about the recommendations of Sign Language Training amongst public servants
Listen to Dr Ronel Davids speaking about the risk of GBV among women in the deaf community
Dr Ronel Davids (pictured above), from the Department of Social Work, and Ms Maria van Staden, from UWC’s Gender Equity Unit revealed that deafness made women more vulnerable to GBV. They called for more accessible and inclusive public education and awareness campaigns.
Dr. Davids and Ms Van Staden explained: “Deafness makes women who are deaf specifically vulnerable to GBV due to the impact of their deafness on their social well-being and quality of life. Unfortunately, there is relatively little research on the prevalence of GBV among women who are deaf, making it challenging to identify the most impacted and where interventions are most needed.”
The pair found in their research that deaf women faced barriers in accessing social networks, medical services, and justice services, among others, because South African Sign Language (SASL) was not widely understood.
They argued that this led to a lack of support for deaf women who are victims of GBV and resulted in a second wave of trauma. The support intended to help them may not be accessible, which further exacerbated their challenges.
“Deaf women are at a greater risk of GBV. Developing targeted services and support for these women is essential, with dedicated training for healthcare workers, medical staff and justice staff in the field of GBV and deafness, which includes deaf culture and South African sign language,” the pair wrote in their study.
The GBV experiences of deaf women were further exacerbated by the difficulty of not understanding the terminology used in GBV vocabulary.
“More commonly, communication with deaf survivors is done ineffectively through lip-reading and writing notes back and forth. This could lead to miscommunication, confusion and frustration on the part of the deaf person not understanding the words used. Unfortunately, deaf women may be unable to communicate their experiences because of the unfamiliarity with GBV jargon.”
Dr Davids and Ms Van Staden conducted four workshops, with each consisting of 20 deaf women, to explore the women’s perceptions of GBV, their understanding of GBV terminology and what constitutes GBV.
“Many believe that they cannot get raped in their marriage, forced sex in a marriage is not rape.”
The study found that the women gave in to sexual pressure from their husbands for fear there would otherwise be conflicts in their homes. Many of the participants felt that they were experiencing this type of abuse but did not know it was called marital rape.
The study added: “One participant had reported her husband to the police and laid a charge of marital rape, but nothing came of the case as the police did not understand her. No sign language interpreter was available to her.”
The study's findings will contribute to a policy brief for the City of Cape Town’s Diversity and Gender Unit, which will guide the creation of effective strategies and solutions for dealing with GBV issues faced by deaf women. Their findings will help inform practical interventions and solutions to tackle the issues of GBV on deaf women, they said.
“These creative strategies can be in the form of practical interventions and support services that are survivor-centred and culturally sensitive for a person who is Deaf that address the gender imbalances in society and, in this case - in the deaf community.”
Listen to Dr Ronel Davids speaking about the recommendations of Sign Language Training amongst public servants
Listen to Dr Ronel Davids speaking about the risk of GBV among women in the deaf community
