Police in Bulawayo said that there are very few men who report cases of gender-based violence (GBV) in the city. This was revealed by Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Precious Simnango.
The number of men who report GBV is very low compared to that of women. It is thought that the major reason for the disparity is the social stigma associated with that since Zimbabwe is a patriarchal society. As a result, most men suffer in silence. There are reports that police officers laugh at male victims of GBV when they report their cases.
Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the 16 days of Activism against gender-based-violence, Chief Inspector Simango said
We are encouraging men to speak out. Only a few cases of gender-based violence whereby men are abused by females have been reported.