Adolescent homicide victimisation in Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

In South Africa there has been growing national concern about the high levels of interpersonal violence especially among young people. Several incidents of school homicides in particular made newspaper headlines during 2006 and a national public hearing on “School Based Violence” was also convened by the Human Rights Commission to address the problem. However, incidents of school-associated violent deaths represent only a small proportion of adolescent homicides. The National Injury Mortality Surveillance System, which captures approximately 40% of the annual nonnatural deaths in South Africa, reveal that the majority (52%) of nonnatural deaths among youth between the age of 15 and 24 years are due to violence. Unpublished NIMSS data for 2004 shows that of the 8575 violent deaths where age was recorded, young people between the ages of 15 to 24 years accounted for more than a quarter (26.3%) of homicides.