Gender Based Violence, time for holistic approach

When one speaks of Gender Based Violence (GBV), women rights often come to mind, especially at a time the world is focused on the 16 days of activism against GBV.

Men being naturally of better physic and leading as perpetrators in reported cases of abuse, take on the weight of criticism, and deservedly so, most of the time.

According to data from a Demographic Health Survey (DHS) conducted in 2015, about 35 percent of women had experienced physical violence from the age of 15 and 14 percent had experienced sexual violence once in their lifetime.

This does not, however, disqualify women as perpetrators of abuse. Most men suffer abuse in silence, be it physical or emotional, at the hands of their spouses.

Reporting abuse even among peers can be emasculating, particularly at police stations where one’s manhood is mockingly thrown into question upon making a report of abuse by one’s own spouse. Often, cases of abusive women are taken seriously only after something as egregious as murder or serious physical harm.

If recent media reports are anything to go by, trends are shifting, maybe not to as great a number as affected women, but big enough to prompt policy makers and advocates against GBV to act.

Though the number of men who suffer physical abuse may not be great, many however suffer some other forms of domestic abuse, be they emotional, sexual, psychological, or economical.

Emotional abuse includes verbal attacks, thus yelling at one’s spouse, insulting or swearing at them; rejection including constantly rejecting one’s thoughts, ideas and opinions and gaslighting, which is making one doubt their own feelings and thoughts, and even sanity, by manipulating the truth.
Though the most commented on acts of sexual abuse include rape, molestation and trying to obtain sexual gratification without consent, denying one sex also falls under this category.

Many women have been known to employ this stunt as a way of either punishing their partners or getting their way.
Men have also been at the forefront of economic violence by virtue of being breadwinners. However, the tables are turning.

Economic abuse is when one repeatedly restricts how their partner acquires, uses and maintains money and economic resources, such as accommodation, food, clothing and transportation.

With some women earning more than their spouses, many men have been subjected to abuse. It is easy to ignore trends and go with traditional advocacy, especially during these 16 days of Activism against GBV, but abuse is taking new forms.

It is high time we take a holistic approach and deal with abuse as is experienced in our society. Nhau/Indaba