Rethinking the fight against GBV: Start with men

I FULLY acknowledge that violence against women and children remains one of South Africa’s most urgent and painful challenges. It is a national crisis that demands coordinated, long-term action from every part of society. Yet, while strategies to combat gender-based violence (GBV) are essential, they will not succeed unless we address a more fundamental problem: men’s disposition towards violence itself.

- KHWEZI NALA BONANI

THE fight against gender-based violence will not succeed if we do not first tackle the broader culture of male violence, says the writer.

(Independent Newspapers Archive)

Any approach that begins with GBV as the starting point risks treating the symptom rather than the cause. The harsh truth is that men in South Africa are overwhelmingly responsible for violence in all its forms, not only against women and children but also against one another.