SoHK Annual Report 2023 Reduced File Size - Flipbook - Page 14
NXTGENMEN: AN INTRODUCTION
2023 ANNUAL REPORT
Across the world, narrow notions of masculinity
present an obstacle to the realisation of gender
equality, and harm both males and females. The
present-day crisis of masculinity manifests
differently across different societies, but is clearly
observable in South Africa, where there is a vast
chasm between some of the most progressive
gender legislation in the world and the violent reality
on the ground - a reality that has traumatic, and
often fatal, consequences for individuals (male and
female), families, communities and society:
>50% of murders of
females in South
Africa are
committed by
intimate partners
85% of murder
victims in South
Africa are male, as
are 70% of assault
GBH victims
Studies indicate
that 1 in 4 men in
SA has admitted to
having committed
rape
In 2019, 13 774 people
in SA were recorded
to have taken their
own lives - 10 861 of
these were male
Theories as to the particular dimensions of the crisis in South Africa are multiple, but many of
these theories engage the deep-seated, ongoing gender inequality and an enduring
‘hypermasculinity’, which prizes aggression and strength, and which has a strong presence
across communities in South Africa.
NEED
Men, in South Africa and around the world, need to be exposed to an approach to masculinity that
enables men to engage with women as equals, and with programming that provides men with cognitive
and practical skills that equip them to stand against violence. NxtGenMen seeks to answer this need.
NXTGENMEN AIMS TO ENGAGE MEN, INDIVIDUALLY AND
COLLECTIVELY, TO BRING ABOUT CHANGES IN ATTITUDES
TOWARDS GENDER AND MASCULINITY.
THE PROGRAMME AIMS TO HAVE A DUAL IMPACT:
1) REDUCING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS; AND
2) IMPROVING MALE MENTAL HEALTH.
