VOICES OF BOYS MATTER AS NATIONAL PARLIAMENT ADVANCES PREVENTION AGENDA

By Nonhlakanipho Masola

• ⁠Deputy Minister of Social Development Ganief Hendricks addressed the 5th National Men and Boys Parliament in KwaZulu-Natal, positioning boys as critical partners in preventing gender-based violence and driving social change.
• The two-day Parliament brought together boys, community leaders and stakeholders to influence national programmes that shape positive masculinity, accountability and leadership.
• ⁠The engagement forms part of government’s broader prevention strategy to address violence by investing early in boys as future leaders and change agents.

Boys were placed firmly at the centre of South Africa’s prevention agenda as the Deputy Minister of Social Development, Mr Ganief Hendricks, addressed delegates on Day One of the 5th National Men and Boys Parliament held at the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature.
The Parliament, hosted in partnership with the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) under the theme Voices of Boys Matter:Building Responsible Men for Tomorrow, brought together boys, community leaders and stakeholders to engage on issues shaping their lives and futures.
The platform forms part of ongoing national efforts to strengthen prevention programmes by ensuring that boys are not only recipients of services, but active contributors to solutions aimed at addressing gender-based violence, social cohesion and harmful gender norms.
Addressing delegates, Deputy Minister Hendricks emphasised the importance of deliberately including boys in national conversations on social change, accountability and leadership.
“We must move beyond speaking about boys to speaking with boys. They are partners in prevention, partners in accountability and partners in building a society free from violence,” he said.
The Parliament comes at a critical time as South Africa continues to confront high levels of gender-based violence and social instability. Discussions underscored the importance of early intervention, recognising that attitudes and behaviours shaped during boyhood have a direct impact on future family and community dynamics.
Following the opening session, participants engaged leaders on key priorities, including promoting positive masculinity, standing behind the No Excuse call against violence, supporting cultural practices that uphold dignity and safety, and ensuring that boys’ lived realities inform national policies and programmes.
The engagement also reinforces the Department of Social Development’s Better Men for Tomorrow campaign, which focuses on transforming harmful gender norms and empowering boys to become agents of change within their families and communities.
Deputy Minister Hendricks stressed that sustainable social transformation requires consistent investment in boys from an early age.
“If we invest in boys today, in their values, leadership and empathy, we prevent violence tomorrow and build stronger families for generations to come,” he said.
He further highlighted the importance of partnerships between government, communities and civil society organisations, including SANAC, in addressing violence prevention, HIV awareness and broader social challenges affecting young people.
Organisers described the Parliament as a safe and inclusive platform that allows boys to openly discuss identity, responsibility, relationships and respect, while ensuring that national interventions are informed by voices from grassroots to national level.
As the Parliament continues over two days, stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to raising accountable boys and building responsible men through dialogue, mentorship and meaningful participation in decision-making processes, with the long-term goal of creating safer communities and a more responsible generation.