Journal article excerpt:

This study is based on in-depth interviews with 21 women who were past residents of a shelter for battered women in Cape Town South Africa.  It documents the difficulties the women wxperienced when separating from the batterer, goung to the shelter, and starting a new life.  The women identify the shelter as a catalyst in transforming their lives.  Although the study was limited to a specific sample of battered women, the authors believe the findingd may have wider applocations.  Recommendations include the provision of shelters, bridging and counseling sevices, as well as the social and legal recognition of battering as a crime.