This document discusses strategies for involving men in HIV prevention efforts in South Africa. It notes that HIV disproportionately affects women due to gender inequalities. Involving men is important because men's risky behaviors and violence against women increase HIV risk. The document recommends adopting positive strategies that promote gender equality and empower women, while also improving men's lives. This includes engaging men in reproductive healthcare, caregiving, and addressing social norms around masculinity. Large-scale interventions are needed that integrate these issues and collaborate with communities and cultural/religious groups.

1. HIV prevention among women -
Getting men involved: Lessons from SA
Desmond Lesejane

2. Established in August 2006, now with offices in
Johannesburg, Cape Town and Pretoria.
30 full-time staff working across South and
Southern Africa including: Lesotho, Swaziland,
Kenya, Namibia, Botswana, Malawi and Zambia.
Co-Chair Global MenEngage Alliance, MenEngage
Africa Region Coordinator and member of Athena
Network.
www.genderjustice.org.za

3. Flagship programme is ONE MAN CAN
Partner in the Brothers for Life Campaign

4. The AIDS pandemic disproportionately affects
women, both in terms of rates of infection and the
burden of care and support for those with AIDS-
related illnesses.
Young women in sub-Saharan Africa are much
more likely to be infected than men. Women are
made vulnerable to HIV by conditions of poverty,
unemployment, entrenched gender inequalities

5. HIV and Men
Why work with men
The basis for men’s involvement
Adopting positive strategies

6. There is a link between HIV and GBV. Men who are violent
are also likely to engage in risky sexual behaviour and likely to
be HIV positive (MRC study)
Few men access health care facilities and know their HIV
status
In SA HIV prevalence peaks in the 30-34 age group and there
has not been any targeted responses
Gender roles and social constructions of masculinity also
damage men’s lives across a broad range of public health
indicators: HIV, violence, road safety, alcohol, suicide etc.

7. It is not a zero sum game where women become the winners
and men the net losers.
HIV is also not just a women’s issue, but a social / economic/
cultural / political phenomenon with links to and driven by
patriarchy and negative masculinities
The HIV & GENDER complex is a key factor in the spread of
HIV. The sad reality of the older man / young woman
dynamic fuelled by medical, cultural and social myths is a
concern
Finding solutions therefore requires scaled up work with men
in the areas identified

8. Work with men must promote women’s and girl’s rights;
The work must enhance boy’s and men’s lives which are also
negatively affected by the burdens of gender injustices
It must be inclusive of the sexual / cultural / economic /social
spectrum of ‘manliness’
The work must confront systemic causes and drivers of the
pandemic (gender inequalities)

9. Move away from negative stereotyping of men and
acknowledge positive male contributions and build
on that
Promote men’s involvement in reproductive health
initiatives. This will enhance their lives, but also help
them to protect the lives of their partners and
children (PMTCT)
Promote men’s involvement in the care economy
Promote government and workplace policies that encourage
men to be more receptive to gender transformation
Demonstrate benefit to society

10. Content
Sexual health
◦ Promote men’s ownership of their own health
◦ Involvement in reproductive health
And protection of children
Gender transformation
◦ Promote healthy gender relationships
◦ Promote empowerment of women
Negative masculinities
◦ Debunk myths of violence and risky behaviour as
determinants of maleness

11. Show the benefit to men if they
◦ Share the economic load
◦ Stay healthy
Benefit to society
◦ Increase the well being of society
Healthier families and communities
◦ Criminal justice system
Cost on the national fiscus
◦ Health system
Costs of belated health checks
◦ Economic development
Exclusion of women
Reduced alcohol induced mortalities

12. “African men will probably never change”. Margaret
Wente, Toronto Globe and Mail, August 16, 2006
The question is not whether men can change, but
rather
◦ can policies and programmes in society accelerate and
influence positive change
Recognising men’s investment in change reduces
men’s potential resistance to gender transformation.
Indeed there are growing numbers of men
embracing change who needs to be supported

13. Often short-term, workshop focused without sufficient
focus on moving from reflection to action.
Insufficient use of policy and community mobilization
and rights literacy to take to scale
Need to integrate focus on men and gender into
broader work including condom & femidoms
promotion, male circumcision, microbicides etc.
Lack of collective efforts and collaboration
Disjuncture with cultural and religious systems and
values

14. YENZA KAHLE
DO THE RIGHT THING
DIRA SENTLE
www.genderjustice.org.za