The belief that men should not cry is a deeply rooted societal theory that has put undue pressure on men to maintain and project an image of being tough and not to show emotion even in the face of adversity.
This emotional bottling has led to many undesirable societal outbursts that manifest in gender-based violence and femicide, committing suicide, violent crime, and substance abuse for example.
These manifestations have impacted society negatively and require men to act in many spheres of life in order to make the world a better place to live in. It is heart warming to see government proactive intervention in trying to address the thorny issue of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).
What is even more important is the government's strategy to create a platform where men can openly condemn the abuse of women, diagnose the causes of GBVF and also talk about how to empower men to deal with mental health, become financially liberated and to learn that it is ok to cry as a man.
The male officials at the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development attended this year’s 5th Annual Leadership Development Workshop for Men and their Role in Social Transformation at Boksburg in order to look introspectively on ways to get rid of GBVF and help guide young boys at an early age through mentoring and coaching to take a stance against GBVF.
Topical issues such as understanding the role of men in influencing against suicide, discussing the unspoken effects of domestic violence against men and women, empowering under-represented young men’s talent through mentorship and financial matters affecting men were discussed.
Providing platforms such as these not only provides safe havens for men to also feel vulnerable and talk about issues affecting them, but to also empower men to be part of the solution.
These help in fulfilling the aims of the National Strategic Plan on gender-based violence and Femicide which is a multi-sectoral, coherent strategic policy and programming framework that government has put in place to ensure a coordinated national response to the crisis of gender-based violence and femicide by the government of South Africa and the country as a whole.
THEMBA MZULA HLEKO | Rosslyn Gardens
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media or IOL.
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