Experiences of young males on gender-based violence at a selected village in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

The scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) on young males is escalating at an alarming rate. It also brings awareness to the society that males are also  victims of GBV. The study explored the experiences of young males on GBV at Lwamondo Village, Limpopo province. The study was qualitative in nature  and applied phenomenological design to extract participants’ lived experience. A sample of (10) young males who experienced GBV that are aged  between 18 to 35 years were identified using purposive sampling through Munna Ndi Nnyi organization. A pre-tested unstructured interview guide was  used to collect data and interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyse the data collected. The findings of the present study showed that  infidelity, unemployment, lack of trust or insecurities, physical abuse, emotional abuse and financial abuse were the main factors contributing to GBV  among young males. The findings further revealed that social stigma, family and friends’ separation were challenges faced by young males. Additionally,  young males used substance abuse, social support, support from Munna Ndi Nnyi organization and religion as a coping mechanism. The study  concluded by making important recommendations to different stakeholders to assist minimizing GBV in societies and future researches on new areas to  advance knowledge of the phenomenon.