Boys and Men Also Suffer Gender-Based Violence
By Marelize Krieg
Follow her on Instagram at @TheBloomingPractice
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a global phenomenon that threatens the health and human rights of individuals from all backgrounds. It takes place in every part of the world, impacting individuals, families, and communities from diverse income and socio-demographic backgrounds. GBV threatens the autonomy, dignity, security, health, and psychological well-being of those touched by it.
Despite the severity and intensity thereof, it remains shrouded in silence. Contrary to popular belief, GBV is not only targeted at girls and women. Instead, it is any harmful act targeted at an individual or group based on gender. Therefore, this definition is an umbrella term that extends to include boys and men and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Consequently, GBV against any of these groups constitutes a human rights violation.
Current GBV frameworks underline the reality and scale thereof on girls and women. This comes as no surprise given the global emphasis on gender inequalities and the resulting vulnerability of women compared to men. In South Africa, August has even been designated as Women’s Month to create awareness and promote women’s rights. However, the problem with this approach is that it significantly diminishes the experiences of GBV by boys and men. In fact, research indicates that violence against boys and men have recently been increasing in certain regions of Africa.
Recent South African reports provide insight into GBV against women and children, but disregard the scope on men as survivors of GBV. Furthermore, relatively little research has been conducted on GBV against boys and men. This remains a largely unacknowledged challenge that many organisations and institutions are reluctant to participate in.
Consequently, the full extent of GBV committed against boys and men remains unknown. Because of the potential impact of GBV, this is extremely dangerous.
Promoting awareness of GBV against boys and men is opposed because of the misunderstanding that doing so will advance a misogynist agenda, thereby minimising the seriousness of GBV against girls and women. This further complicates the situation as it has led to a shortage of research and empirical evidence to inform advocacy and both policies of prevention and intervention in GBV against boys and men.
What Does South African Law Say?
The South African Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007 describes rape as gender-neutral. Thus, individuals of all genders who have experienced GBV have a legal recourse - including boys and men.
After all, girls and women are just as capable as men when it comes to perpetrating GBV. Research indicates that GBV against men is usually committed by the man’s intimate partner, but it can also be perpetrated by children and grandchildren.
Why Aren’t Boys and Men Being Recognised as Survivors of GBV?
GBV against boys and men is severely underreported. Therefore, even if statistics were to be shared, they would not be an accurate reflection of the true extent of the crisis.
Various barriers keep a man from disclosing his experience of GBV. This includes an extreme lack of awareness regarding the phenomenon and its prevalence. The underreporting is also ascribed to cultural beliefs and societal expectations of masculinity, for example, that men are stronger than women, that men should never show vulnerability or weakness, and that men cannot be victims. Intimate partner violence against men is typically not recognised or acknowledged, especially when a physical object is being used as a weapon during the abuse. Men are faced with the additional shame about having “allowed the abuse to happen” and not being able to prevent it.
Further reasons include the stigmatisation and perpetuation of masculine stereotypes. When reported, GBV, especially GBV that is sexual (GBVS), may result in disbelief, social stigmatisation, mockery, and isolation. Consequently, it comes as no surprise that few boys and men acknowledge being survivors of GBV.
The issue originates with individuals and is transmitted throughout the community and into legal systems. Additionally, survivors of GBVS that are male-on-male may be marked as homosexual with homosexuality still being illegal in many countries and ascribed the death penalty.
Gendered assumptions of men as perpetrators and girls and women as victims may prevent boys and men from accessing and using legal, health, and support resources as authorities and health providers may be ignorant when it comes to recognising signs of sexual violence against males.
Why Aren’t Boys and Men Reporting GBV?
The answer to this question lies in the patriarchal nature of South African society. This incites:
Fear of stigmatisation.
Fear of ostracization.
Feelings of shame and guilt.
Fear of criminalisation because same-sex acts are illegal in their country.
Fear of experiencing homophobic backlash.
Fear of the reframing of sexual abuse as torture.
Fear of being the target of social prejudice (for example, questioning their masculinity).
Fear of not acknowledging women as perpetrators of intimate-partner violence (IPV)
Fear of losing access to their children.
Studies indicate that it is extremely rare to find a few if any, shelters for men who are survivors of GBV. Only a small number of shelters for women cater to men or only a very small percentage of men are admitted.
The Impact of GBV on Boys and Men
Studies conducted in a wide range of regions and contexts indicate that while GBV has enduring short- and long-term effects on anyone, in boys and men, in particular, it impacts their psychological, physical, and sexual health, in addition to their self-esteem, and their ability to work and make decisions, specifically regarding reproductive health and fertility problems. Frequently GBV impacts survivors’ social development, for example by preventing boys from reaching their full potential and being able to add value to their communities. Instead, they are instructed to use violence as a way of achieving their ends. Men, for example, become desensitised to the pain of others. These occurrences promote the persistence of the idea of inequality as a significant aspect in the perpetuation of GBV against girls and women.
Physically, male survivors may experience urinary and bowel incontinence, sexual dysfunction, injuries to the genital areas, sexually transmitted diseases (such as HIV), and infertility. Psychologically, they may experience feelings of guilt and shame, struggling with their sexual orientation and gender identity because of the popular myth that male survivors become or are gay. They may feel depression or anxiety, and experience suicidal thoughts. They may engage in self-harm activities and risky sexual behaviour. They may be diagnosed with sleep disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They may battle with anger and aggression. They may abuse substances. Socially, they may be belittled, blamed for what happened, and even be abandoned by their families and partners. Economically, they may struggle to perform at work, leading to unemployment and potential poverty. Boy survivors may drop out of school, employ negative coping mechanisms (such as substance abuse), and develop behavioural problems,
Boys and Men Also Suffer Gender-Based Violence
Acknowledging GBV against boys and men does not oppose nor detract from the severity of GBV against girls or women. But for the overarching crisis that is GBV to be addressed, the causes and effects of GBV against all genders need to be confronted. Staying silent and playing dumb only perpetuates the plight of GBV survivors. In contrast, supporting GBV survivors will help to break its cycle and aftermath. Violence against boys and men is a reality that applies to every society in varying degrees - including South Africa.
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