Kassa Maksudi

I am a researcher and activist with a background in Psychology, Criminology, and Health Promotion.  I am originally from Burundi and moved to South Africa as a refugee in the late 1990s.
My work focuses on violence against women and children in disadvantaged and marginalized communities in South Africa. Specifically, I study how violence and other traumatic experiences impact individuals' behavioral outcomes on their physical and mental well-being. Research findings allow me to improve the lives of people and communities ravaged by violence. In addition to studying refugees in South Africa, I am also interested in conducting research on violence against women and children in Sub-Saharan Africa in the future. My current research focuses on the intergenerational transmission of domestic violence in refugee families in Durban South Africa. I look forward to working on intergenerational transmission research in East African countries namely in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. In addition, I would like to improve mental health awareness among East Africans as well as refugees and other migrants in South Africa.