Teaching positive masculinity will help fight GBV

As South Africa observed Human Rights Day yesterday, the urgent need to promote positive masculinity in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV), crime and absent fathers has come to the fore again.

While commemorating the sacrifices made by individuals striving for equal rights, it is important to acknowledge that many human rights violations are rooted in false and wounded masculinity, says Father A Nation founder and chief executive Craig Wilkinson.

He told The Citizen that despite endless calls to action, the country continued to grapple with alarming rates of rape, GBV and violence against children.

Fatherless and child-headed households presented a stark contradiction to the ideals of democracy, he said.

“No boy is born an abuser,” he said. “Something goes wrong on the journey from boy to man, and that’s what we need to fix.

“Modelling and teaching healthy masculinity helps men become role models for younger generations, stopping the cycle of GBV at its roots.”

In line with this year’s Human Rights Day theme “Three decades of respect for and promotion of human rights”, he urged industry leaders, government and civil society to recognise and promote positive masculinity as a proven antidote to the social ills that rob women and children of their basic human rights.

“Good men use political power to serve their constituency; economic power to serve their families, loved ones and society; corporate power to serve staff, customers and shareholders; and their physical power to protect.

“We urge fathers, brothers, grandfathers, neighbours and community leaders to take on the irreplaceable role of a good man in building stronger, more united communities,” Wilkinson said.

The saying, “It takes a village to raise a child” is widely embodied in South Africa, where 84.4% of children are not raised by both of their biological parents, and fewer than four in 10 children live with their father, according to Statistics SA.

According to Wilkinson, present and positively engaged fathers naturally protect their children’s rights as stipulated in the constitution, which includes the right to family or parental care.

Research has shown young people who grew up with absent fathers were at greater risk of falling into substance abuse, promiscuity, early pregnancy, abuse, violence and crime.

“As we reflect on three decades of advocating for human rights, let us embrace positive masculinity as a cornerstone for building stronger, more equitable communities, where every person can flourish and live with dignity and safety,” Wilkinson said.