Gender-based violence and the inclusion of men in GBV prevention campaigns: perceptions of students in a university in South Africa
Outcomes: Gender‑Based Violence
View SourceKey Social Norms Take-aways Gender-based violence prevention should move beyond awareness-raising to actively address harmful gender norms, unequal power relations, and the social and institutional conditions that allow violence to persist. Participants viewed men as potentially important agents for transforming harmful masculinities and gender norms, but emphasized that male engagement must be carefully structured around accountability, trust, safety, and protection of women’s voices. The discussion argues for gender-transformative, community-based approaches that engage men as allies without re-centering male power or compromising survivor-centered spaces.
Objectives The study explored university students’ perceptions of gender-based violence prevention campaigns, including their understanding of gender-based violence and prevention efforts and their views on including men through a multi-gender approach.
Methods This qualitative exploratory study included 12 third-year Psychology and Criminology students (seven women and five men), aged 22–29, at a university in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Participants were purposively selected and completed semi-structured, face-to-face interviews examining understandings of gender-based violence, perceptions of prevention campaigns and government interventions, and attitudes toward male inclusion. Data were analyzed thematically, guided by Social Learning Theory and Feminist Theory. Social norms were explored qualitatively through participants’ perceptions of gender roles, power inequalities, harmful masculinities, accountability, male involvement, and the normalization of violence rather than through a quantitative norms measure.
Results Participants understood gender-based violence as a gendered, power-based problem and considered prevention campaigns important for awareness, survivor support, and empowerment. However, most perceived government interventions as inconsistent and ineffective, citing weak law enforcement, limited accountability, inadequate rural outreach, and insufficient behavioral change. Participants generally supported involving men as allies and agents of change who could model positive masculinity and help transform harmful norms, but support was conditional. Concerns included retraumatization, lack of trust, male dominance, and the potential marginalization of women’s voices.
Conclusions Effective gender-based violence prevention requires context-sensitive, multi-sectoral approaches combining structural reform, institutional accountability, community engagement, and behavioral and gender-norm change. Male inclusion may strengthen prevention when men participate as accountable allies rather than central actors and when survivor safety and women’s experiences remain prioritized.
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