Revenge filicide; when parents kill :: Mmegi Online

Cases of spouses, mostly men killing children as an act of revenge or a form of punishment, continue to escalate in Botswana. Murders such as these are termed revenge filicide, the purposeful killing of one or more children by a parent, stepparent, or another parental figure, to cause emotional harm to the child’s other parent or relation. Mmegi Staffer PINI BOTHOKO looks at this complex and poorly understood phenomenon which continues to claim innocent lives

In this type of murder, the spouse specifically wants the partner to suffer and feel miserable. The offending partner wants the receiving partner, who they believe inflicted emotional and psychological pain on them, to experience the same.

Revenge filicide is not as common as some other kinds of homicide and studies show that it can be hard to pin down patterns and perpetrator motivations. The cases have become a great concern because expected protectors of children become monsters who kill. Homes are no longer safe spaces for children as they continue to lose their lives at the hands of fathers, stepfathers, guardians, parental figures or their parents’ partners.

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