Intimate Partner Violence and Poverty in the Context of Botswana

Abstract

The study aimed at exploring pathways of intimate partner violence and poverty. The sample consisted of 30 women (aged 18 to 54 years) who had experienced intimate partner violence. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and analysed thematically. The results revealed that intimate partner violence was related to a lack of financial resources and stable income, financial dependency on the perpetrator, lack of child support, and intergenerational exposure to violence and poverty. The findings suggest that experiences of poverty and intimate partner violence are largely intertwined.