A Force for Change

Growing up in Atteridgeville, a township on the outskirts of Pretoria, South Africa, 34-year-old Nthabiseng Latakgomo frequently tested the limits of her society, ignoring those who told her she could not do things because she was a woman. So it came as no surprise to her family and friends when she joined the South African Police Service. A trained social worker, Nthabiseng sensitizes officers to address violence against women as part of Global Impact charity EngenderHealth's Men As Partners^® (MAP) program.

South Africa faces twin, interrelated epidemics: HIV and gender-based violence. There, as in other parts of the world, masculinity is often associated with aggression, dominance over women, and multiple sexual partners. Historically, some men in the police force, though tasked with ensuring public safety, were themselves perpetrators of violence in both their personal and professional lives. 

Recognizing the links between violence, gender inequality, and health-including risk for HIV-the MAP program tackles these issues at their roots. In late 2006, aware that police were often unsympathetic to female victims of sexual violence-making women less likely to report cases, seek help, and leave violent relationships-MAP launched its "Police as Partners" initiative. Hundreds of police officers across the country, including Atteridgeville's police force, have since participated in workshops and trainings in which they have confronted traditional ideas of what it means to be a man. They have changed their own attitudes and behavior related to gender, HIV, and violence.

Now, they are able to assist victims of abuse, as well as help prevent community violence in the first place. The initiative has reached more than 25,000 South Africans with messages of transformation.

 Reflecting on when she first introduced MAP to the police, Nthabiseng recalls that many were resistant. "There was a prevailing attitude that they knew everything and were always right. I had to push my way to get things done," she said. "It is a male-dominated field, and talking to them about sex and gender issues is especially difficult."

 Today, the Atteridgeville police, along with their counterparts in four other provinces, are prepared for cases involving interpersonal violence. "Officers are now more aware, are more sensitive, and bring women in to file cases," said Nthabiseng. "And it's not just women [coming in], but also men. Before, men were afraid to come to the station to report cases, but now they come in more and more and say, ‘I have a problem.' And we help them deal with it."

Effects in the community are evident in other ways, too. The Atteridgeville police created a victims center, offering counseling and support to those traumatized by violence. "It's no longer just about opening cases and then sending women home, we also deal with their feelings and their fears," notes Nthabiseng, who so passionately believes in the difference the police are making that she hopes to become an officer herself one day.