The Construction of Regional Masculinities as Drivers of Sexual Violence Against Women in Lesotho

ABSTRACT

Sexual violence against women (SVAW) is a social problem that perseveres despite preventive efforts made at international, regional and national levels. In terms of research, very little has been covered on the comparative, diverse regional masculinities that drive men to sexually abuse women. This sociological study, therefore, focuses on the construction of regional masculinities that cause SVAW, with the study site being Maseru district of Lesotho. Qualitative data were gleaned utilizing four interview guides for 10 SVAW survivors, 10 perpetrators, 10 village chiefs and 10 police officers. The study adopted a qualitative interpretative approach and a phenomenology research design. Underpinning the study's theoretical framework was the masculinity framework. In rural areas of Lesotho, results revealed that the construction of regional masculinities as drivers of SVAW entails the following: misuse of traditional weapons such as koto, molamu and lebetlela and cultural practices such as ho ratha patsi and ho kenela. In urban areas, the drivers of SVAW include men as providers and protectors. This illustrates that certain specific but diverse forms of masculinities continue to heighten women’s vulnerabilities to sexual violence. This study argues that various masculinity traits that are intended to exhibit manhood intentionally or unintentionally manifest into SVAW. This study is envisaged to broaden the masculinity framework by bringing in the context of the Sotho culture and urban/rural diversity in exploring the nexus between regional masculinities and SVAW. This study contributes to the scholarship on African masculinities.

KEYWORDS:

• Sexual violence against women
• African masculinities
• regional masculinities
• rural areas
• urban areas
• Lesotho

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Molamu is a Sesotho name for a weapon used by Basotho men when herding domestic animals and beating their enemies.

2 Koto is a Sesotho name for a weapon used by Basotho men for stick fighting.

3 Lebetlela is a Sesotho name for a stick used by Basotho men from initiation school to celebrate the transition to manhood.

4 In Lesotho, chiefs are found in both rural and urban areas, and they usually handle sexual violence cases in their community courts.

5 Ho ratha patsi literally means “cutting wood”.

6 Bomachonisa is a Sesotho name for money-lenders.

7 Four plus-one is a name commonly used by Basotho to refer to cabs or taxis that transport only four passengers.