Men call for recognition in GBV fight
As the 16 Days of Activism campaign ends, some men say their abuse is ignored and CPF says it is under–reported.
While men and women across the country wrapped up the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence campaign on December 10, some men feel it does little to address GBV against men.
According to Sandringham Community Policing Forum Sector 1 chief commander Loraine Buzo, GBV against men is difficult to address because it is under-reported. “In the beginning I noticed that most men do not come out. It is only women who come out, and when they do, the next day they change their minds.”
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Speaking on the sidelines during their GBV outreach campaign in River Park, she said the under-reporting of GBV against men could be linked to stigma. Some men, she said, might be afraid of reporting abuse because they are shy or fear being seen as less of a man.
“But they must know that it is within their rights to report these cases. They must know that they have a place to go to,” she said. “We need to remember that they are also human and they have rights.”
She added that when men fear speaking out, it makes it increasingly hard for officials to know if they are victimised. “But if they speak up, maybe it will inspire boldness in others to come out and speak up, then we will take it from there.”
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However, some residents said that even when they report abuse, officials do not take them seriously. “Women are always prioritised and the police feel for them when they come to report cases of GBV. But we as men, we are not. Can you see that we are ignored?” Alexandra resident Ayanda Madida said.
He said even in instances where men feel spurred to defend themselves because they are hit by a woman, they hold back, fearing the law will target them more as men, mainly because men are regarded as the likely perpetrators of GBV.
“Even when women are the ones that start a fight, men cannot do anything and cannot even defend themselves because they are afraid of being arrested and charged.”
According to him, even the community is complicit in GBV against men. “The community rejoices when it is a man who gets abused. They do not do anything. In fact, they will make a joke out of you everywhere. We are not taken seriously as men when we are abused by women.”
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