In this In Brief, the author asks: How do Papua New Guinean men living in violent contexts make sense of messages aimed at preventing violence against women? The author explores this question through the views shared by security guards who participated in discussion groups as part of a larger research project that explores how men interpret and respond to primary prevention messaging addressing HIV and violence against women. Drawing on this research, the author suggests that the efficacy of behaviour-change messaging aimed at primary prevention of violence against women in Papua New Guinea is challenged by the normalisation of men’s experiences of violence, both as perpetrators and as targets of violent ‘discipline’ outside the home.