Reconsidering South Africa’s narrow, feminised approach to Gender-Based Violence

Reconsidering South Africa’s narrow, feminised approach to Gender-Based Violence

Kamban Naidoo

Issue: Vol. 7 No.7 2026 Article 22 pp. 2049 – 2060
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20267722 Published online 23rd September 2026

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ABSTRACT

South Africa’s official approach to gender-based violence remains narrowly framed and clearly gendered, with an almost exclusive focus on violence against women and girls. Consequently, the experiences of male victims are largely overlooked, resulting in a limited and one-sided understanding of the phenomenon. This contribution seeks to examine gender-based violence as experienced by men in South Africa to expose the complex reality of the phenomenon and inform and influence public policy, public discourse and further research. Given the limited knowledge about the types and prevalence of gender-based violence that affects men, this submission attempts to address this gap in the existing body of knowledge. Several scholars have called for a broader conceptualisation of gender-based violence that acknowledges the diverse experiences of individuals, irrespective of gender or sexual orientation. Through a review of the relevant literature, this contribution engages an emerging but limited body of empirical and qualitative research. The literature supports the finding that men are also victims of gender-based violence, albeit to a lesser extent than women. In addition, reference is made to South Africa’s gender-neutral legal framework governing gender-based violence to support the argument that men should be included in national discourse and policy responses to gender-based violence. This inclusion would not only enhance service delivery for male survivors of gender-based violence but would also encourage further research in this area. More broadly, it would contribute to the recognition of gender-based violence as a wider human rights concern rather than an issue affecting only women.

Keywords: South Africa, Gender-based Violence, Feminised, Men.

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ABOUT AUTHOR(S)

Kamban Naidoo, LLD, is an Associate Professor, Department of Criminal & Procedural Law, University of South Africa (Unisa), Pretoria, South Africa.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Naidoo, Kamban. “Reconsidering South Africa’s narrow, feminised approach to Gender-Based Violence.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 7, no.7 (2026): 2049 – 2060. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20267722