What role does fatherhood play in ending GBV?
South Africa is once again confronting the devastating reality of violence against women.
Amidst the heartbreak and devastation, the public conversation often focuses on what happens after violence occurs: policing, prosecutions, victim support and government action. These questions matter. But Heartlines is asking another difficult question: where are the fathers in the wake of femicide, and what role can fathers and men play in preventing gender-based violence (GBV)?
This conversation takes a long view. Ending GBV requires a whole-nation response involving families, schools, communities, faith and civic organisations, the justice system, the government and we as ordinary individuals.
But prevention also begins early - with how boys and girls experience care, boundaries, respect, conflict, responsibility and healthy relationships from a young age, and with how fathers and other men show up in the lives of children and women.
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We need to flip the script on how we teach, inform, and raise boys, men, and fathers. There are other forms of masculinity — masculinities that care, serve, help, guide, shoulder burdens, support, protect, nurture, and walk alongside others ... through #HeartlinesFathersMatter, we continue to invite men and fathers into a different story — one of active, positive, and present fatherhood.
Read: A Sacred Reflection on Lament, Justice and Our Collective Call to Action
Heartlines community representative Seth Naicker has written a response about how we can lament in our time of grief as a country, and why investing in positive fatherhood is one way we can change the future for women in South Africa.
FATHERHOOD AND GBV
What’s Papa got to do with my rage?
Father absence removes one of the first buffers against violence – a daily presence where anger is noticed, slowed down, named, and shaped before it hardens.
Read more
The measure of a man is not in his fists
In many communities, the dominant image of manhood remains physical – protect, provide, endure, fight. These instincts are not inherently wrong. But they are incomplete.
Read more about The measure of a man is not in his fists
Fathers Matter national working group calls for men to be protectors, allies and agents of change
There was a time when religious spaces avoided talking about gender justice. But over the years, more faith communities have recognised that silence actually reinforces harm.
Read more about Fathers Matter national working group calls for men to be protectors, allies and agents of change
Fighting GBV: More fences, fewer ambulances
The scourge of gender-based violence continues unabated. And while there are interventions, many of them focus on providing assistance after the fact, rather than addressing root causes.
Read more about Fighting GBV: More fences, fewer ambulances
Where does our violence begin?
Randall's story is about breaking cycles, particularly the one he inherited from his father. Where addiction once defined him, he has chosen differently. Where his father’s absence shaped him, he now strives to be present for his child and his mother.
Read more about Where does our violence begin?
'I thought I could get through to my child by beating her up'
Peer pressure, unemployment and generational methods of discipline have led to frustrated fathers in Alex seeking new ways of parenting.
Read more about 'I thought I could get through to my child by beating her up'
Rethinking Fatherhood, Gender, and Masculinity in South Africa: A Symposium on Youth Perspectives
On 29 October 2025, Heartlines, in partnership with the University of the Witwatersrand School of Governance hosted the Rethinking Fatherhood, Gender, and Masculinity in South Africa symposium.
Read more about Rethinking Fatherhood, Gender, and Masculinity in South Africa: A Symposium on Youth Perspectives
Creating space for boys to share their father stories
Heartlines Fathers Matter recently partnered with the City of Joburg to facilitate a critical conversation about the role that positive, active and present male role models and fathers can play in children’s lives.
Read more about Creating space for boys to share their father stories
It takes a village – and social fathers are here for the fatherless
Social fathering is about carrying the "essence" of positive fatherhood into all of life. When men step up as positive role models for children who aren't their biological kids, it reflects the beauty of community.
Read more about It takes a village – and social fathers are here for the fatherlessHOW DO BOYS BECOME MEN?
The way boys are raised shapes the kind of fathers they become. What must men teach boys so they become better fathers?
IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS
What we teach our sons and how we love our daughters matters
In this thought-provoking episode, we are joined by Family Therapist and Heartlines Facilitator, Merrishia Singh-Naicker as we unpack what it truly means to raise a generation that understands respect, empathy, and consent.
Read more about What we teach our sons and how we love our daughters matters
The role fathers play in teaching boundaries and respect
From building emotional safety to setting healthy boundaries, our guest, pastor and Heartlines Facilitator, Seth Naicker, joins us in conversation to unpack what it means to raise children who understand love and discipline in equal measure.
Read more about The role fathers play in teaching boundaries and respect
Beyond 16 Days
In this episode Brett & Merrishia dive deep into the realities of Gender-Based Violence (GBV)—its impact, the systemic issues at play, and explore how we can create safer communities and empower those affected.
Read more about Beyond 16 DaysViolence is less likely in homes where fathers share chores equally
By Wessel Van Den Berg
When fathers play an active and equal role in the household and are a positive presence, it relieves the burden of care on mothers – but also results in a household where violence is less likely to take place.
There seems to be a relationship between men’s contribution to care work, their presence in the household, and the risk of violence.
Feelings about fathers
By Refilwe Mabula
Today, many children grow up without fathers in southern Africa, says Mzikazi Nduna, Associate Professor in the Psychology Department in the School of Human and Community Development at Wits.
In her research on gender-based violence and absent fathers, Nduna found that “children who grow up with an absent biological father tend to display behavioural problems and often experience more life trauma and distress compared to children who grow up residing with both parents.”
The role of fathers and rethinking the concept of fatherlessness
By Professor Letlhokwa George Mpedi
In the South African context, there are links that can be made between fatherlessness and gender-based violence. Gender-based violence is so prevalent that South Africa has been compared to war-torn nations. Calls for action go largely unheard, and the scourge persists as the root causes often remain unaddressed.
Fatherlessness is a leading cause of gender-based violence
By Elizabeth Mamacos
No man is born an abuser or a rapist, something happens on the journey from boy to man. Men growing up without fathers, mentors and role models often grow up wounded and without an understanding of what it means to be a man.
Fathers at the centre of ending GBV
By Allison Cooper
“GBV is disturbing and disgusting. I always talk about raising a boy child well because they will have problems in the future if they are not raised properly. This is why we have aggressive men today,” says Sekgale.
“Fatherhood should be taken seriously and fathers should mentor their boy children to learn to talk about their feelings instead of acting them out. Boy children should not be taught to be strong and ‘never cry’, like most African cultures encourage, as they bottle up their anger and only show it later when they feel powerful,” he adds.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS...
This video shows the impact that absent or abusive fathers have, particularly on women, and encourages us to see how we can stop the cycle of gender-based violence by helping men to be positively and actively present in children's lives.
WHAT'S THE WORD?
We hear these phrases often, but it might not always be clear what GBV, VAW and IPV mean.
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