gaetane le grange
working with men -
the facts
Incarceration Statistics
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Based on an analysis of currently incarcerated male and female individuals (2008-09):
- 97.84% are male; 54.43% are for aggressive crimes; 15.84% are for sexual crimes
- There are an almost equal number of women sentenced for economic and violent crimes. However, 62775 male inmates committed violent crimes and only 24669 committed economic crimes.
- 30.69% of all inmates are under the age of 25 years
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Analysis of Report Crime 2007/2008
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The following is a breakdown of the number of serious crimes in South Africa per day:
- 50.65 Murders / 51.49 Attempted Murders
- 99.15 Rapes / 18.53 Indecent Assaults
- 575.63 Assault with the Intent to cause Grievous Bodily Harm
- 542.6 Common Assault / 178.04 Common Robbery
- 324.14 Robbery with Aggravating Circumstances (Violent) 1840.23 reported crimes per day in these categories – 1.3 every minute
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Masculinity in South Africa
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- Definitions of masculinity and femininity have become drastically skewed. Overall, masculinity currently focuses on domination, violence and material wealth.
- Perceptions of masculinity, and therefore men, are very negative in the light of the high levels of violence and abuse perpetrated by men.
- As women have been redefining their gender roles through development programmes, men have not been doing so. They have been greatly neglected in social development activities. This has created a disparity between how men and women view gender roles and associated behaviours.
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Intersection between masculinity and child wellbeing
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Spiral of Violence
- Sexual offenders are far more likely to have experienced sexual and physical abuse as children than property and/or drug offenders. This is especially true of paedophiles that target male children. It seems likely that South Africa is in the grips of a deeply entrenched cycle of violence, where mostly men commit violent crimes against female and male children, who in turn are far more likely to go on and repeat those crimes as adults – creating an ever widening spiral of violence, particularly in men.
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The effects of patriarchy and resultant constructs of masculinity
- In patriarchal societies men are seen as the material providers for their families, as well as “the head of the household”. With South Africa’s high unemployment rates, many men are not able to fulfil their perceived role of provider. Studies have revealed highly levels of unemployment in sex offenders
- The current patriarchal system does not encourage male involvement with child rearing and the formation of close and nurturing relationships.
- Men are the primary decision makers within family structures including health-seeking behaviours and how income is allocated
- A 1998 survey revealed a possible absentee father rate of 51.1% in South Africa
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Intersection between masculinity and HIV
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- Experiencing sexual assault is linked to risks of HIV infection. Similarly, men with a history of committing sexual assault are at an increased risk of HIV infection
- Power dynamics within relationships mean that men place their female sexual partners at risk of infection: multiple concurrent partners, condom use, sexual violence, access to testing and treatment, preventing re-infection, desirability of fathering children
- A 2002 study of inmates in one prison found an HIV prevalence rate of 29.6%.
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