05 Jun 2014

The director of the department of information services, Mr Russ Molosiwa says Gender Based Violence  GBV is immoral, whether practiced by male or female.

“It has never been in God’s agenda that such an immoral practice should exist among us,” he said during the Ministry of Lands and Housing men sector's Pitso ya Borre gathering on June 4.

He said in order to win the fight against GBV, it was important for people to understand it first adding that without understanding GBV, it was going to be difficult to fight the epidemic. He said understanding GBV would mean an active role in the war against it by the society.

Furthermore, the director said should the media see commitment and seriousness in the fight, it will write articles to expose incidents of violence even those that were hidden behind culture, or done under the pretext of preserving culture.

He said men’s participation in Pitso Ya Borre would help set principles that would assist in the fight against the GBV. These principles , he noted were independent of culture, race or creed. “Obedience to principles guarantees success,” he said.

For his part, former BDF Commander, Lt Gen. Tebogo Masire said GBV was one of the most common human rights violations worldwide.

He said it was worrisome that GBV issues were the least talked about, be it in the media or speeches by leaders in the society.

Lt. Gen. Masire said statistics indicated that only five per cent of GBV was reflected in the media while six per cent of leaders’ speeches covered GBV issues.

He also noted that it took a community to fight these issues, but it started with one man, standing up and playing an active role in the fight against GBV.

The former BDF Commander urged every man to protect their daughters and teach their sons that women are not supposed to be abused.  

He however singled out alcohol abuse as the major contributory factor to domestic violence.

The objective of the pitso was to raise awareness amongst men in the fight against GBV and engage them to establish strong teams that could help bring an end to GBV in Botswana.

The event which was held under the theme: Seabe sa Borre mo go emiseng kgokgontsho ya bong, allowed the Ministry of Lands and Housing men to get involved in the fight against GBV, share experiences and new ideas on the matter. ENDS