Activists reach out to male GBV victims in Alex

For many years, the general assumption in cases of gender-based violence (GBV) has been that men are the causes, and women are the victims.

In Alex, however, social activists have also acknowledged that men suffer from GBV at home too. This was the discussion at a forum hosted at Thusong Centre to coach men on what to do if they are experiencing gender-based violence.

Read more: Hope as Alex sees January with no reports of GBVF

The information session hosted at the centre on January 24 sought to highlight the reality that men can, and do, experience GBV at home or in their relationships. Thato Mkansi is a local who dedicates his time to cultivating confident, intelligent young men in Alex through his office at the centre. He spoke about the importance of not lumping all forms of masculinity under the classification of ‘toxic masculinity’ as an important step towards realising that men suffer too.

“We still have that thing of gender stereotypes and cultural norms. We still stick to that and we tend not to differentiate between masculinity and toxic masculinity,” Mkansi said. “We don’t know what masculinity is and people tend to regard toxic masculinity as masculinity. Remember, Alex is a township. It’s so difficult as men in spaces like these to go report these matters, even if it would make our mental health okay.”

Members of SAPS attended the discussion and had the opportunity to reassure male victims of GBV that their reports would be taken seriously. Sergeant Ramokone Maluleke outlined some of the reservations that men have reporting GBV.

Also read: Can knowledge of self be the cure to GBVF in Alex?

“Each time they’re supposed to report their cases, they think police officers will laugh at them,” said Maluleke. “We are here to address the issue of men feeling as though they are not being acknowledged as victims of gender-based violence.”

Maluleke added it was also important to educate people about abuse in homes for the sake of the children’s development.

“We can say that children are what they learn from home. If you behave badly around children, they take what they see and eventually do whatever you were doing at home at school and elsewhere.”

Social worker and activist Brenda Selibi said it was about time there were platforms where men could voice their domestic issues such as GBV.

“Encouraging and acknowledging men as GBV victims has been long overdue because this issue didn’t just crop up today,” added Selibi. “We need to emphasise this need for platforms to take what we’re doing here today into those houses where men are also victimised by their loved ones.”
A 2018 study published through Unisa by University of Venda scholars Tsoaledi Thobejane, Lobelo Mogorosi and Ntshengedzeni Luthanda examined the experiences of men who have been subjected to GBV at the hands of women.
“To date, although there is growing evidence showing that there is increasing violence against men, perpetrated by women, the focus has been on violence against women,” the study found. “Violence committed by women against their male partners had been largely ignored for several reasons, one of the reasons being the stereotypes that are fuelled by the perception that a man is strong, while women are perceived as submissive, weak and obedient.”

Types of GBV men suffer in silence

• Physical, sexual, emotional, verbal and psychological abuse
• Economic abuse
• Intimidation
• Harassment
• Stalking
• Damaging the property of the victim
• Other forms of man battery, including: slapping; pouring hot water while the victim is asleep, and in areas mostly hidden by clothes; chopping men’s genitals; verbal insults; insulting the partner in front of children; slashing; pouring petrol over men and setting them on fire.

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