Stepping Stones: Working with men

Stepping Stones [SS] is a programme for HIV prevention that aims to improve sexual health through building stronger, more gender-equitable relationships with better communication between partners. This programme is relevant to the mapping of gender-based violence prevention programmes in South Africa because it explicitly shows the interface of HIV/AIDS and gender based violence at the individual ecological level. For instance, it has been found that young men who perpetrate violence against women also engage in higher levels of risk behaviour than non-perpetrators; more severe violence is correlated with higher levels of risky behaviour (Dunkle et al, 2006). Thus any primary prevention strategy on gender based violence must also address HIV risk and misogynistic constructions of masculinity; SS proves to be such an integrated prevention programme (Jewkes et al, 2007).