Adoloscent homicide victimisation in Johannesburg, South Africa : epidemiological profile, situational context and neighbourhood structure

Abstract

Although interpersonal violence is the leading cause of nonnatural death among adolescents in South Africa, research is limited. This thesis examined homicides among adolescents (15-19 years) in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, during the period 2001 to 2009. It aimed to describe the incidence and epidemiology; depict the situational contexts based on victim, offender and event characteristics, and to develop a situational typology of adolescent homicides; and to identify the structural factors associated with neighbourhood levels of adolescent homicide within the city. Four separate studies were conducted using data from the National Injury Mortality Surveillance System (NIMSS), police case records, and Census 2001. The results revealed an average annual homicide rate of 23.4/100 000, with firearm homicides decreasing considerably over the study period, while homicides due to sharp instruments and blunt force increased. The epidemiological results highlighted the vulnerability of male, and black and coloured adolescents. The typological analysis identified three categories of adolescent homicide, namely: 1) male victims killed by strangers during a crime-related event; 2) male victims killed by a friend/acquaintance during an argument; and 3) female victims killed by male offenders, and indicates the need for multiple and focused prevention strategies. Alcohol use was also prevalent, with 39% of the victims tested having positive blood alcohol concentrations (BAC). The characteristics found to be associated with alcohol-related homicides, specifically, male victims killed with sharp instruments in public places, over the weekends and during the evenings, and by a friend/acquaintance draw attention to both the harmful pattern of intoxication-oriented drinking and the risky situational contexts in which adolescents consume alcohol. Finally, the results also showed that the incidence of male and female adolescent homicides was greater in neighbourhoods characterised by poverty and deprivation, while female adolescent homicides were also higher in neighbourhoods marked by high concentrations of households where children were not living with their parents. Overall the results point to the urgent need for a comprehensive prevention strategy that targets adolescents, their families and communities, and also addresses weapon availability, alcohol use, and issues of masculinity and gender to reduce homicides among adolescents.