A Community Mobilisation Training Manual for Preventing men’s use of violence against women

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among the 35% of women globally who experience it. Prevalence of VAWG is alarmingly high in Southern Africa. Large studies among South African men found that 27.5 – 31.8% report enacting violence towards partners, and 27.6% of men have ever raped. These high rates of violence against partners and non-partners are consistent with population-based findings from studies among men in other regions. There is an urgent need to engage men in challenging rigid adherence to inequitable ideas about manhood and encourage men to become agents of change – both to reduce VAWG, and for the benefit of communities, families, and men themselves.