Pathways to maternal filicide among women incarcerated in Gauteng Province

Abstract

The unfathomable crime of murdering one’s own child, referred to as filicide, is increasingly reported on in media and evokes disbelief in society, especially when committed by the victim’s mother. Mothers who murder their children, referred to as maternal filicide, defy societal expectations of both womanhood and motherhood. Despite the severe nature of filicide, the phenomenon has received little scholarly attention. The voices of filicide mothers have rarely been heard especially in the context of South African research. Filicide is a multifaceted phenomenon that is relatively unexplored. The aim of the present inquiry was to develop a theoretical pathway specifically related to maternal filicide.

The study adopted a qualitative approach and was exploratory in nature. In-depth information was collected from eight incarcerated women who murdered their children. The researcher made use of a semi-structured interview schedule administered through personal interviews. Instrumental case studies were used as the research design. A non-probability sampling method was used along with purposive and snowball sampling approaches. Data was analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis, which allowed greater understanding of the lived experiences of the participants. Ethical considerations included voluntary participation, informed consent, confidentiality, and debriefing.

Methods of filicide included strangulation, prolonged child abuse, gunshots, poison, drowning, and burning. The median age of the victims was 3. An unwanted child and failure to provide medical care to a minor (neglect) were the most reported motives for filicide. Almost all participants had experienced intimate partner violence during their life-course as well as adversities in childhood. Half of the participants had been the victims of rape or sexual abuse. Nearly all participants reported hostile interactions in an interpersonal relationship preceding the filicidal incident and identified with feeling overwhelmed with their circumstances. A great deal of the participants indicated that they did not have a support system at their disposal.

Bearing in mind that there is no fixed list of factors that can be said to causally create criminal behaviour, four potential pathways were identified from the data: (1) adversities in youth, (2) recent conflict in relationship, (3) absence of support system, and (4) strain. The features of the pathways seem to be inter-related. The researcher proposes a theoretical pathway coined ‘lifeways trajectory of maternal filicide’ which incorporates unresolved trauma, lack of knowledge or perceived support system, hostile relationships, severe burdens, and absence of coping mechanisms. Further research is required to understand the role men play in female criminality and the prevalence of unresolved trauma in maternal filicide cases.