Africa-Press – Botswana. Stigma from the society and unfair treatment by authorities have been attributed as some factors preventing men from reporting gender based violence (GBV).
Men aired their views during Men’s International Day commemoration in Maun recently, saying there was need to change attitudes on abuse against men noting that majority were suffering in silence, which pushed some to commit suicide.
They said men preferred to suffer in silence instead of raising alarm because of some attitudes displayed by some authorities such as police officers.“We are failing to come out to report domestic abuse because of unfair treatment by some police officers. Some have a tendency of laughing at us hence we opt to remain silent on abuse,” said Mr Seabe Tlhaselo.
He said recently he had a misunderstanding with his partner who ended up beating him causing bodily harm and his efforts to report to the police were in vain as officers who responded made him feel embarrassed by questioning how he could be beaten by a woman.
He said such officers were still clinging to old cultural believes that men were not supposed to cry. In the eyes of the society, he said police stations were important institution to prevent gender based violence but some police officers discouraged them to report because of their negative attitudes.
Mr Tlhaselo urged police officers to accord men who are victims of GBV the same treatment given to women victims, saying the vice had devastating effects of psychosocial stress and mental illness among others.
“As men we are trying to overcome social stigma and let police know when we are victims of GBV and it is unfortunate they don’t take our reports serious and this really frustrates us,” he added.
Mr Oagile Lekang called on police to do the right thing when they receive reports of abuse, noting that in some cases women were pushing men to become perpetrators.
When a woman reports, he said police officers were quick to respond, but when it is man, they drag their feet and eventually dismiss the case.
“This feels unbalanced. If statistics show that violence against women is high, it does not mean men are not victims. We expect equal treatment,” he added.
Earlier, head of Gender and Child Protection at Maun Police, Sub Inspector Segopolo Lefatshe said men were mostly perpetrators of gender based violence and appealed to them to change their conduct and control their emotions to avoid acting irresponsibly.
From January to October this year, he said police registered 87 rape cases and 50 defilements, of which men were perpetrators.
In one case a woman sexually abused an 18-year-old boy.
In addition, he said 199 cases of men assaulting women were recorded with 63 of them resulting in bodily harm.
Seven cases of threat to kill, four murder and two attempted rape were also recorded.
Mr Ngami District Health Management Team (DHMT), Mr Kenosi Mokobamotho said men should be seen taking the lead in undoing the norms that promote inequality and GBV.
He cited some traditional stereotypes and Setswana idioms such as ‘Monna ga a we o sekama hela’ saying they had their roots in childhood as they were told that boys don’t cry.
He said the idea that expressing emotion was a sign of weakness had led to men not seeking support for mental health issues.
“It is high time to open up and express our feelings freely. No man is born violent, we are born for a purpose hence we should stand up and seen creating a safe, supportive environment that fosters positive change for a better future,” he added.
Mr Mokobamotho advised fellow men to display positive characters and become powerful change agent to fight social ills bedevilling the nation.Maun Prison’s Assistant Superintendent Gontse Lekgetho urged men to come up with strategies or ways to deal with GBV. He said currently, they had 170 men prisoners, with only one being a woman, adding such was an indication that men were on the wrong.
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