Botswana: "Men need to change perceptions"

Link here. Excerpt:

'Kgosi Tumelo Puleng of Letlhakeng says time is nigh for men to shed their bad boy image of associating with undesirable practices in society and to learn to be more responsible.

Giving welcome remarks at the Kweneng West MenCare graduation ceremony in Letlhakeng on Saturday August 15, Kgosi Puleng said for a long time, men had been associated with societal ills such as abuse, rape, incest as well as drug abuse.

“This is even evidenced by the fact that men’s prisons are always filled to capacity as compared to women’s prisons,” he said. He said men were also known to be slow on issues of sexual reproductive health as well as advocacy for gender equality.

“Such concerns as the reluctance to test for HIV and AIDS as well as unwillingness to participate in initiatives meant to address societal ills like abuse gives the impression that they are the perpetrators. So it is up to men to stand up and clear their image by meaningfully participating in these initiatives,” he said.

Kgosi Puleng also expressed concern about the level of reluctance by men to participate in the safe male circumcision campaign, saying instead women were leading in taking their newly born baby boys for circumcision.

“This programme was specifically designed for men, so it was only our legitimate expectation that men should lead and spearhead its success, but instead, it has been the opposite,” he said.'