A Study on the Role of Men in Curbing the Scourge of Violence against Women and Children in KwaZulu-Natal: South Africa

In South Africa, the rates of sexual violence and rape are alarmingly high compared to other countries with similar populations and economies. In the 2022/2023 fiscal year, South Africa recorded 53,498 sexual offences. Therefore, approaches and interventions geared towards addressing Gender Based Violence need to correspond with the understanding of the pivotal role that men could play in dealing with this crisis. The main objective of this study was to explore the role of men in curbing the scourge of violence against women and children in KZN. The study used quantitative methods as well as qualitative methods. The results highlighted that men are not doing enough to curb GBV. Moreover, 40% of the respondents admitted to touching women inappropriately and passing sexist comments to women, whereas 25% indicated that they beat their partners if they were ‘disobedient’ or to prove their masculinity. Also, the findings depicted that the most prevalent type of abuse is physical abuse (65.8%) followed by the sexual exploitation of children (54.4%); emotional and psychological abuse (44.7%); abandonment and neglect (39.5%); and sexual violence (35.5%). Results paint a disturbing picture of South African gender relations and behove strong intervention from the authorities to stop this scourge.