13 Sep 2015

Statistics show a significant decrease in gender-based violence in Chobe District this year, police have said.

Kasane police gender-based focal person, constable Kesegofetse Keitumetse, revealed this Friday (September 11) at a Men’s Pitso. Cases of common assault started on a high this year, standing at 91 cases reported in January alone.

“As of September this year, this number increased slightly from 91 to 96 which means five cases were reported from February to date,” said Ms Keitumetse.

That meant the rate at which common assault incidents had been occurring had, therefore, dramatically decreased from the period February to date. Similarly, rape cases currently stood at nine this year compared to last year’s 22. The number of cases of threats to kill, however, had remained the same since January, at four. Last year there were nine cases reported.

Murder cases had also decreased from three last year to two this year. Cases involving assault occasioning actual bodily harm had also significantly gone down from 14 in 2014 to five in 2015. Keitumetse attributed such decrease to intensive public education. Earlier this year, Kasane hosted the first ever One Billion Rising campaign against gender-based violence in the country.

However, Ms Keitumetse noted women continued to withdraw cases filed against their partners at a disturbing rate. “These numbers do not include the cases that were reported only to be withdrawn later,” she said.

Gender affairs officer, Ms Abaleng Khombane, said some abused men did not report such incidents to the police. As such, she said, they ended up being left out in policies that they could have benefitted from.

One of the objectives of the Pitso was to promote peace in the household with emphasis on communication as a tool to resolving conflict. The Pitso was organised by the Men’s Sector, Kasane chapter. Ends