scholarly journals Shifting gender norms to improve HIV service uptake: Qualitative findings from a large-scale community mobilization intervention in rural South Africa

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0260425
Author(s):  
Anna M. Leddy ◽  
Ann Gottert ◽  
Nicole Haberland ◽  
Jennifer Hove ◽  
Rebecca L. West ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Gender Norms ◽  
Community Mobilization ◽  
Social Barriers ◽  
Mpumalanga Province ◽  
Intervention Community ◽  
Facility Level ◽  
Skill Building

Background Interventions to improve HIV service uptake are increasingly addressing inequitable and restrictive gender norms. Yet comparatively little is known about which gender norms are most salient for HIV testing and treatment and how changing these specific norms translates into HIV service uptake. To explore these questions, we implemented a qualitative study during a community mobilization trial targeting social barriers to HIV service uptake in South Africa. Methods We conducted 55 in-depth interviews in 2018, during the final months of a three-year intervention in rural Mpumalanga province. Participants included 25 intervention community members (48% women) and 30 intervention staff/community-opinion-leaders (70% women). Data were analyzed using an inductive-deductive approach. Results We identified three avenues for gender norms change which, when coupled with other strategies, were described to support HIV service uptake: (1) Challenging norms around male toughness/avoidance of help-seeking, combined with information on the health and preventive benefits of early antiretroviral therapy (ART), eased men’s fears of a positive diagnosis and facilitated HIV service uptake. (2) Challenging norms about men’s expected control over women, combined with communication and conflict resolution skill-building, encouraged couple support around HIV service uptake. (3) Challenging norms around women being solely responsible for the family’s health, combined with information about sero-discordance and why both members of the couple should be tested, encouraged men to test for HIV rather than relying on their partner’s results. Facility-level barriers such as long wait times continued to prevent some men from accessing care. Conclusions Despite continued facility-level barriers, we found that promoting critical reflection around several specific gender norms, coupled with information (e.g., benefits of ART) and skill-building (e.g., communication), were perceived to support men’s and women’s engagement in HIV services. There is a need to identify and tailor programming around specific gender norms that hinder HIV service uptake.

scholarly journals Community mobilization to modify harmful gender norms and reduce HIV risk: results from a community cluster randomized trial in South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. e25134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey Pettifor ◽  
Sheri A Lippman ◽  
Ann Gottert ◽  
Chirayath M Suchindran ◽  
Amanda Selin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Randomized Trial ◽  
Hiv Risk ◽  
Gender Norms ◽  
Cluster Randomized Trial ◽  
Community Mobilization ◽  
Cluster Randomized

Religion, Gender Norms and Campus Rape Culture: Building Resistance from Below

Politeia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Selina Palm
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Gender Norms ◽  
Rape Culture ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Gendered Violence ◽  
Agents Of Change ◽  
Religious Formation ◽  
Legal Forms ◽  
South African Higher Education

In recent years, protests against campus rape culture at South African higher education institutions have attracted public attention. Despite strong constitutional provisions, a culture of sexual and gendered violence remains endemic in South Africa. In the light of the gap between legal forms and social norms, this article argues for building socio-political resistance from below that starts with exploring the lived experiences of young women. It therefore introduces the voice of one ordinary student who inhabits these spaces. She highlights the need for attention to be paid to the gendered social norms that underpin this culture of sexual violence, the possibilities of engaging men as allies and the important but ambiguous role of the Christian religion. Research suggests that bystanders like her can become important agents of change. The article concludes that the connections between hierarchical gender norms, religious formation and rape culture need further empirical engagement in South Africa if their power-laden roots are to be disrupted and reimagined.

The Role of Archives on the Incorporation of the Former Kangwane Homeland to Mpumalanga Province

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nkholedzeni Sidney Netshakhuma
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Record Keeping ◽  
Mpumalanga Province ◽  
Specific Objective ◽  
National Archives ◽  
And Control

This study was conceptualised in order to assess the strategies used to incorporate the homeland of KaNgwane into Mpumalanga province after the cessation of apartheid in 1994. The specific objective of the study was to investigate the compliance of records and archives with the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa Act (Act No 43 of 1996), during the incorporation of the homeland of KaNgwane into Mpumalanga. The study adopted a qualitative methodology through document analysis, interviews and observations. The key findings revealed that the archives of the former homeland of Kangwane were not aligned with the requirements of the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa Act (Act No.43 of 1996.) Institutions seem to lack experience when it comes to the challenges of storing records and implementing arrangement and control systems. The frequent lack of a records management policy and few to no staff with record-keeping and archival backgrounds was also a concern. A shortage of space to store records safely was also one of the major issues that the study uncovered. There appears to be no concerted effort to retain important historical records. Many records are stored in several different locations in government buildings.  I conclude that archives play an essential role to the nation as the institutional memory.

Modelling the susceptibility of pine stands to bark stripping by Chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Germishuizen ◽  
Kabir Peerbhay ◽  
Riyad Ismail
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Random Forests ◽  
Risk Evaluation ◽  
Site Index ◽  
Pine Plantations ◽  
Bark Stripping ◽  
Papio Ursinus ◽  
Mpumalanga Province ◽  
Chacma Baboons ◽  
Pinus Spp

Context Commercial pine (Pinus spp.) plantations in southern Africa have been subjected to bark stripping by Chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) for many decades, resulting in severe financial losses to producers. The drivers of this behaviour are not fully understood and have been partially attributed to resource distribution and availability. Aims The study sought to develop a spatially explicit ecological-risk model for bark stripping by baboons to understand the environmental factors associated with the presence of damage in the pine plantations of the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. Methods The model was developed in Random Forests, a machine learning algorithm. Baboon damage information was collected through systematic surveys of forest plantations conducted annually. Environmental predictors included aspects of climate, topography and compartment-specific attributes. The model was applied to the pine plantations of the study area for risk evaluation. Key results The Random Forests classifier was successful in predicting damage occurrence (F1 score=0.84, area under curve (AUC)=0.96). Variable predictors that contributed most to the model classification accuracy were related to pine-stand characteristics, with the age of trees being the most important predictor, followed by species, site index and altitude. Variables pertaining to the environment surrounding a pine stand did not contribute substantially to the model performance. Key conclusions (1) The study suggests that bark stripping is influenced by compartment attributes; (2) predicted risk of bark stripping is higher in stands above the age of 5 years planted on high-productivity forestry sites, where site index (SI) is above 25; (3) presence of damage is not related to the proximity to natural areas; (4) further studies are required to investigate ecological and behavioural patterns associated with bark stripping. Implications The model provides a tool for understanding the potential extent of the risk of bark stripping by baboons within this region and it can be applied to other forestry areas in South Africa for risk evaluation. It contributes towards the assessment of natural hazards potentially affecting pine plantations and supports the development of risk-management strategies by forest managers. The model highlights opportunities for cultural interventions that may be tested for damage control.

scholarly journals Assessing the potential soil acidification risk under dryland agriculture in the Mlondozi district in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 244-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.G. Jansen van Rensburg ◽  
A.S. Claassens ◽  
D.J. Beukes ◽  
H.L. Weepener ◽  
P.J. Beukes
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Soil Acidification ◽  
Dryland Agriculture ◽  
Mpumalanga Province
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