A violência doméstica na cidade de Maputo: um estudo sobre as causas da quebra da passividade da mulher vítima

Abstract

This study explores the social causes that make a female domestic violence victim to sue her conjugal partner for putting her go through domestic violence. Therefore, this study tried to comprehend the motivations that, within the social sphere, explain the act of suing the domestic violence perpetrator (husband or conjugal partner). We were also interested in analysing the relationship between the law and the increasing rate of domestic violence. Data were collected basing on literature review and field work. A total of 12 female victims of domestic violence were selected. A semi-structured interview basing on a guide was used to collect data. The Social Imaginary Theory by Castoriadis (1997) and the concept of Domestic Violence by Chauí (1985) were used to guide the study. The social imaginary theory defends that society has its own dynamic which is powered by the transformative character of its social individuals, and therefore, the social transformation is promoted by the social individuals’ willing of setting themselves free of social alienation. In this study we argued that the act of charging is, for the domestic violence victims, a way to promote social changes on the way men manage the conjugal relationship and the domestic space. And, in the end of this study, as the result of the discussion of our hypotheses, we conclude that among other relevant social aspects: (i) the female victims of domestic violence charge their conjugal partners as a manifested act of rejecting the model, based on the reproduction of the patriarchal values and practices, that men use to manage their conjugal relationship and the domestic space; (ii) the victims of domestic violence, they charge as a way of asking for their social freedom so that they can make their individual wills in the domestic and public spheres