06 Dec 2020

It is important to invest in re-socialising a boy child by teaching him respect, equality and self-love to curb gender based violence (GBV) , says Men and Boys for Gender Equality Founder, Mr Desmond Lunga. 

Speaking during a panel discussion on GBV related issues recently, Mr Lunga said since statistics showed that GBV was mostly perpetrated by men, there was need for capacity building initiatives.

“There is also a need to interrogate cultural practices perpetuating gender stereotypes, which ultimately lead to GBV,” he said. Mr Lunga added that communities needed to be empowered with knowledge regarding basic human rights.

For her part, British High commissioner, Ms Sian Price, said COVID-19 and lockdown had contributed to GBV cases globally. “There has been research conducted on some of the underlying causes that trigger GBV, such as when people are placed in confined spaces and have no other outlets for their pressures, have economic concerns and drink excessively,” she explained.

The high commissioner said there was need for long-term holistic and sustained collaborative efforts from government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders to combat GBV related issues.

Meanwhile, an activist on issues relating to GBV, Disability and HIV, Ms Malebogo Molefhe said as part of the interventions, government could set up a fund to solely focus on financially assisting GBV victims.  

She said the financial burden on victims and survivors sometimes led to victims going back to perpetrators for financial relief and therefore causing an unending cycle of abuse and trauma.

“In essence, we need a fund that will look holistically into the problems those GBV victims and survivors have, so as to aid them in providing for their families,” she concluded. Ends