18 Aug 2026

In the fight against gender-based violence (GBV), much of the conversation has understandably centred on protecting women and children, but at Riverside Ward in Maun, the conversation took a different turn where men were brought together and given a space to speak, reflect and confront issues that may lie beneath violent behaviour.

The engagement convened by the Department of Gender Affairs, sought to move the discussion beyond condemning violence after it has occurred, but toward understanding what drove it and what could be done to address it.

District coordinator in the Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs, Ms Tshoganetso Mahupe said creating such spaces was an important part of confronting GBV at its roots.

She said men needed an environment where they could openly deliberate on issues affecting them, allowing interventions to respond not only to the consequences of violence but to the circumstances and attitudes that may contribute to it.

“There is need to facilitate and create a safe space for men to deliberate on the issues as part of efforts to do away with GBV in our communities,” she said.

The approach does not absolve perpetrators of responsibility, rather it recognises that preventing violence required communities to understand why violence continued to find its way into families and relationships.

Delivering the discussion topic, representative at Vows and Bells, Mr Jerry Pearce told participants that the foundation of healthy relationships began with how individuals understood and valued themselves. He said violence was often intertwined with intimate and sexual relationships, making it important for people to understand love, commitment and self-worth before attempting to build healthy relationships with others.

Mr Pearce also challenged men to reconsider the idea that seeking help was a sign of weakness and encouraged them to speak to social workers, professional counsellors or trusted friends when confronted by personal difficulties, saying keeping grievances buried could leave individuals overwhelmed.

“It is okay for men to seek help,” he said, calling for communities to establish safe spaces where men could also speak openly about their struggles.

Riverside Ward VDC chairperson, Mr Kautjukwa Tjihambuma acknowledged that women and children remained frequent victims of GBV, but said men who experienced abuse should not be invisible in community interventions. He said some men also suffered abuse at the hands of women and argued that failing to provide avenues for them to seek help could leave problems to escalate, with potentially devastating consequences.

Mr Tjihambuma said communities needed organisations and support structures that could assist men just as there were structures established to support women facing violence.

His remarks pointed to a difficult reality in the fight against GBV where creating safer communities may require creating spaces where everyone could speak about violence, including those often expected to remain silent.

For Riverside resident, Mr Mopandeka Ndonda, public education could help break that silence to enable men to be able to recognise abuse and, importantly, where to turn to when they found themselves in difficult circumstances. ENDS