11 Feb 2026

Initiatives that do not involve men in addressing one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world, violence against women, usually have minimal impact.

According to an article by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on Gender-Based Violence (GBV), worldwide, an estimated one in three women will experience physical or sexual abuse in her lifetime at the hands of men.

In Botswana, over 67 per cent of women have experienced abuse, which is more than double the global average. Therefore, the article says effective responses to gender inequality and GBV require joint efforts by both women and men.

Ms Angela Phuthego, founder of the Man To Man campaign, an initiative that engages men and places them at the forefront of the fight against GBV, echoes this sentiment.

“In my research, I have found that in efforts to combat gender-based violence, men are often relegated to the background, with limited visibility and engagement in prevention initiatives, yet their voice is critical in the discourse,” said Phuthego.

She highlighted that many campaigns and initiatives in Botswana were predominantly led by women, with limited male participation, and that the core GBV message was often directed mainly at females.

She also noted a huge rift between men and women in the social media space, where discussions on gender-based violence frequently struggled to find common ground and quickly give way to defensiveness.

Ms Phuthego said her initiative had also faced similar challenges, where an almost cataclysmic chasm emerged between men and women when it came to the causes of GBV. However, she maintained that ending GBV could not be achieved without the involvement of men.

“I believe that men have the potential to help fight GBV. I also believe that it is time to change the narrative of men being painted solely as perpetrators to being seen as participants in the fight for change,” said Ms Phuthego.

Through the Man To Man initiative, which currently involves ten men, Phuthego explained that participants engaged in discourse with one another and encourage each other to abandon harmful stereotypes while fostering respectful and healthy relationships. The initiative also helps men better understand the dynamics of women’s experiences, with guidance from qualified professionals.

Essentially, Man To Man unites both men and women to confront each other’s raw perceptions with the objective of finding common ground in the fight against GBV.BOPA