South Africa has the ignominious reputation of being the rape capital of the world and continues to battle an epidemic of gender-based violence. It is devastating for women and girls both physically and psychologically—but also economically. South Africa’s Mail & Guardian reports that the country lost about $2 billion in 2019 from the estimated costs of gender-based violence, including hospital bills, loss of productivity, and judicial costs.

On today’s episode of The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, we talk to two groups of male allies in South Africa influencing fellow men in unique ways. First, reporter Elna Schutz talks with men from Sonke Gender Justice, including a man whose life changed because of a Sonke program he participated in while in prison. Then, host Reena Ninan speaks with Christopher Isike, a professor of political science at the University of Pretoria. He has conducted 10 years’ worth of qualitative research with men about why they are violent toward women and how to change their thought patterns.

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