‘No boy is born an abuser’: GBV, absent fathers in spotlight again on Human Rights Day

As South Africa observes Human Rights Day on Thursday, 21 March, the urgent need to promote positive masculinity in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV), crime and fatherlessness has come to the fore again.

While commemorating the sacrifices made by individuals striving for equal rights, it is important to acknowledge that many human rights violations are rooted in false and wounded masculinity.

This according to Father A Nation founder and CEO Craig Wilkinson who told The Citizen that despite endless calls to action, the country continues to grapple with alarming rates of rape, GBV and rampant violent crimes against children.

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Social ills rob women and children of basic human rights

He added that fatherless and child-headed households present a stark contradiction to the ideals of democracy over the past three decades.

“No boy is born an abuser. Something goes wrong on the journey from boy to man and that’s what we need to fix. Modelling and teaching healthy masculinity helps men become role models for younger generations, stopping the cycle of GBV at its roots,” said Wilkinson.

In line with this year’s Human Rights Day theme “Three Decades of Respect for and Promotion of Human Rights”, the non-profit company’s CEO urged leaders in industry, government and civil society to recognise and promote positive masculinity as a proven antidote to the social ills that rob women and children of their basic human rights.

Positive masculinity will protect rights of women and children

“Good men use political power to serve their constituency; economic power to serve their families, loved ones and society; corporate power to serve staff, customers and shareholders and their physical power to protect.

“We urge fathers, brothers, grandfathers, neighbours, and community leaders to take on the irreplaceable role of a good man in building stronger, more united communities,” Wilkinson said.

Absent fathers drive social dysfunction

The saying, “It takes a village to raise a child” is widely embodied in South Africa where most children (84.4%) are not raised by both of their biological parents and fewer than four in 10 children live with their father, according to Statistics SA (Stats SA).

According to Wilkinson, present and positively engaged fathers naturally protect their children’s rights as stipulated in South Africa’s Constitution, which includes the right to family or parental care.

Over the years, research have shown that young people who grow up with absent fathers are at greater risk of falling into substance abuse, promiscuity, early pregnancy, abuse, violence and crime.

“As we as a nation reflect on three decades of advocating for human rights, let us embrace positive masculinity as a cornerstone for building stronger, more equitable communities, where every person can flourish and live with dignity and safety,” Wilkinson concluded.

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