11 Dec 2014

Parliamentary Caucus on Women chairperson, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso has commended President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama for prioritising the fight against gender based violence.

President Khama had said in the State-Of-the-Nation Address that government was developing a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system to combat gender-based violence following the 2012 gender violence indicator study, which revealed 67 per cent prevalence rate of violated women and 44 per cent of men as perpetrators.

Thus, in a statement she delivered in Parliament on December 10, Ms Tshireletso urged Members of Parliament to unite and work hard to eliminate gender based violence.

Ms Tshireletso, also Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, again urged Parliament to develop policies that provided a safe and secure nation free from gender based violence and empower the girl/boy child.

She also challenged members to come up with comprehensive and fully multi-sectoral strategic plans to combat gender based violence as well as amend the existing
Domestic Violence Act in efforts to address marital rape issues.

Further, she encouraged members to strive to raise awareness about gender based violence as a human rights issue at local, national and international levels.

Ms Tshireletso also urged all political leaders to take responsibility and power to protect not only the girl child but also the boy since the latter was also exposed to gender based violence.

“Solutions exist; whether it is by changing or introducing minimum age for marriage, keeping girls in school to delay marriage or making sure existing laws are implemented effectively.

As members of parliament, we must and we can make a difference to the lives of hundreds of millions of girls, boys as well as people living with disability,” she said.

Ms Tshireletso’s statement came on the backdrop of the international day for the elimination of violence against women which started on November 25 and ended on
Wednesday (December 10)

The 16 days activism campaign against gender based violence emphasised gender based violence as an international human rights violation.

This year’s campaign was themed: From peace in the home to peace in the world; let’s end violence against women and children with disabilities.

Thus, Ms Tshireletso said Botswana joined the world in advocating for a future society, free from all sorts of violence including rape, domestic violence and others.

The theme, she said reiterated the fact that countries needed to do more to protect girls, boys and children living with disabilities from all types of violence for peace to prevail in the world. 

“One in three girls aged 15 to 19 has been a victim of violence committed by a husband or partner. Worldwide, nearly 50 per cent of all sexual assaults are againstgirls aged 15 or younger,” she said.

Child marriage according to UNFPA, she also said, was widespread, adding in most of the developing world, 34 per cent of girls were married at 18 years, with one in seven of them married before the age of 15. ENDS