Pulitzer Center Update September 9, 2026
In Zambia, Community Dialogue Challenges Stigma Around Men Experiencing Domestic Abuse
Country:
What has worked and not worked
In Zambia’s Eastern Province, a community engagement project is challenging a difficult question: What happens when men experience domestic violence but feel they cannot speak about it?
Between April and July 2026, Action for Positive Change (APC), with support from the Pulitzer Center, brought community leaders, law enforcement officers, civil society representatives, health professionals, young professionals, and survivors together in Chipata District to confront the stigma surrounding men who experience gender-based violence (GBV).
At the center of the initiative was the Pulitzer Center-supported project Inside the Campaign To Stop Domestic Violence in Kenya by journalist Moraa Obiria. The reporting examines the experiences of men who face abuse within intimate relationships and the social expectations, stigma, and institutional barriers that can prevent them from seeking help. For APC, the story offered an opportunity to connect investigative journalism with a local reality that is often left out of conversations about GBV.
Bringing an overlooked reality into the conversation
Women and girls continue to experience gender-based violence disproportionately and remain in urgent need of protection, justice, and support. But APC’s engagement highlighted another dimension of the issue: Men can also experience physical, emotional, psychological, and economic abuse, while cultural expectations of masculinity can make it difficult for them to acknowledge their experiences or seek assistance.
On May 14, APC convened a stakeholder dialogue at Eastern Comfort Lodge in Chipata, Zambia, bringing together 42 participants, including traditional leaders, representatives from the Zambia Police Victim Support Unit (VSU), the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), the Human Rights Commission of Zambia, civil society organizations, community representatives, and people with lived experience of domestic violence. The discussion was designed not simply to raise awareness, but to also explore why male survivors often remain silent and what communities and institutions can do to create safer pathways to support.
His Royal Highness Chief Madzimawe, who delivered the keynote address, challenged communities to reconsider assumptions about who can be a victim of GBV. He called for safe environments in which survivors can seek help without fear of ridicule, discrimination, or loss of social standing. The conversation was reinforced by perspectives from institutions responsible for responding to violence. Officer Jerry Mwanza of the Zambia Police Victim Support Unit explained the reporting mechanisms available to survivors and highlighted the scale of underreporting among men. According to figures he shared during the dialogue, the VSU recorded 256 serious GBV cases in 2025, but only 16 involved male survivors. Between January and May 2026, the Unit recorded 86 cases, of which only six involved men.
For participants, the figures raised an important question: Do these numbers reflect lower levels of violence against men, or the difficulty many men face in reporting it? Officer Mwanza pointed to fear of ridicule, concerns about not being believed, expectations that men should be able to resolve family problems themselves, and mistrust of formal institutions as some of the factors that can discourage male survivors from reporting abuse.
When seeking help becomes another barrier
One of the most powerful moments of the dialogue came from a survivor's testimony. Abel Banda shared his experience of enduring different forms of abuse during a 24-year marriage. He described being locked out of his home, having his belongings thrown outside or damaged, and experiencing physical violence. But his story also revealed another painful reality: the difficulty of being recognized as a survivor. When Banda sought help from relatives, friends, and traditional leaders, he said that some dismissed or laughed at his experiences. When he approached the police, he was initially detained because officers suspected that he was the aggressor rather than the victim. His experience gave a deeply personal dimension to the issues raised in the Pulitzer Center investigation. It illustrated how stigma can exist not only within families and communities, but also within the systems survivors turn to for protection.
Eventually, Banda left the relationship and relocated to another district. Although the decision separated him from his children, he later found renewed hope when all eight of his children traced his whereabouts and reunited with him. His testimony prompted participants to reflect on the consequences of remaining silent—and on the importance of ensuring that survivors are believed, treated with dignity, and connected to appropriate support.
Building more inclusive support systems
The dialogue also brought attention to the role of institutions and community structures in responding to domestic violence. Dorothy Ndhlovu of the YWCA shared information on counseling and referral services, emphasizing the importance of support systems that respond to the needs of every survivor while maintaining the critical focus on protecting women and girls. Clara Chibanda of the Human Rights Commission of Zambia framed domestic violence as both a social concern and a human rights issue. She reminded participants that everyone has the right to dignity, equality, personal security, and access to justice, regardless of gender.
She also highlighted the Commission’s role in receiving complaints, investigating alleged human rights violations, providing public education, and supporting access to justice, including through pro bono legal services. Together, these perspectives helped participants move beyond the question of whether men can be victims of domestic violence to a more practical question: How can communities make sure that every survivor knows where to turn and feels safe enough to do so?
From investigative journalism to community storytelling
The engagement did not stop at the workshop. APC used digital storytelling to encourage community members to reflect on the themes raised by the Pulitzer Center investigation. Participants were invited to create short videos addressing issues such as breaking the silence around domestic violence against men, challenging harmful stereotypes about masculinity, promoting healthy relationships, and encouraging survivors to seek support. Five videos were submitted. Their stories ranged from experiences of physical and emotional abuse to abandonment and the challenges of rebuilding life after violence. The initiative ultimately recognized all five eligible participants, acknowledging not only their contributions but also the courage required to speak publicly about a highly stigmatized issue. The project also included survivor story documentation visits. These engagements revealed just how difficult public disclosure can be. Some survivors were willing to discuss their experiences privately but declined to be recorded or publicly identified out of concerns for stigma, family conflict, and possible ridicule.
That hesitation became an important finding in itself. It echoed one of the central messages of the Pulitzer Center-supported investigation: Silence is not necessarily an absence of violence. Sometimes, it is evidence of the barriers that prevent people from speaking.
Creating space for a more inclusive conversation
Throughout the project, APC reached 275 people through a combination of stakeholder dialogues, survivor engagements, awareness content, and digital platforms. Participant feedback suggested that the Pulitzer Center investigation played an important role in making the discussions more concrete and relatable. Ninety-two percent of participants said the story greatly improved their understanding of the challenges faced by male survivors, while 96% said the investigation made the discussions more engaging by grounding them in real experiences and evidence. All participants recommended that similar dialogues be conducted in other communities.
The project also generated commitments from stakeholders to continue raising awareness about inclusive GBV responses. Traditional leaders pledged to speak against domestic violence in their communities, while government and civil society representatives reaffirmed the importance of providing non-discriminatory support to survivors. For APC, the experience demonstrated that storytelling can do more than inform audiences. It can create openings for difficult conversations, connect evidence with lived experience, and encourage communities to reconsider assumptions that can leave survivors isolated. The project also highlighted the need for caution and survivor-centered approaches. Public storytelling can amplify voices, but not every survivor will feel safe sharing their experience online or identifying themselves publicly. Confidentiality, informed consent, psychosocial support, and alternative ways of participating are therefore essential when engaging with sensitive issues.
Ultimately, the Chipata initiative showed how investigative journalism can travel beyond the published page. By using the Pulitzer Center-supported story “When Men Endure Abuse in Silence” as a starting point for dialogue, storytelling, and community engagement, APC helped bring an often-overlooked dimension of gender-based violence into public conversation. The goal was not to create a competition between survivors or to diminish the urgent need to protect women and girls. It was to broaden the understanding of GBV and strengthen the principle that every survivor deserves to be heard, protected, and supported. In Chipata, breaking the silence began with creating a space where people could finally talk about it.
