An investigation into the trend of Domestic Violence on Men: The Case of South Africa

Abstract

This paper brings to the fore, experiences of men who are victims of domestic violence where women are the perpetrators. There are masculinity expectations that a man if in pain is not allowed to show his agony in public. This belief is exacerbated by the patriarchal nature of our society that suggests that men are not supposed to cry. These male victims are “hard-to-reach” because they prefer to be in the closet and also because of the stigma that might be attached to them for having shown that they are victims of female domestic abuse. The paper is motivated by the study that was conducted in Vuwani under Makhado Local Municipality of Vhembe District in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. This study used a qualitative research methodology to garner more information about the victims. Domestic violence against men perpetuated by women is not a new phenomenon in our society. But it is rarely spoken about. The patriarchal society that we live in makes it hard for men to open up about their anguish. The study focused on five themes which are as follows: The causes of abuse, nature of the abuse, limits of the law regarding the abuse, the role of police officers and institutions in assisting men. The study was also guided by theories such as family violence perspective and stand point theory. The findings show that men who are victims of domestic violence are reluctant to come to terms with their predicament due to fear of being laughed at by the society, peers and police officials. As the proportion of domestic violence against men is still low when compared with that of women, the findings reveal that most women are knotted in the trap of playing victims while they are themselves perpetrators.

Keywords: Patriarchy; Masculinity; Femininity; Domestic violence; Emasculation