25 Oct 2016

 The University of Botswana Careers Counseling Centre, in collaboration with gender affairs department, recently held a candlelight session to commemorate gender based violence.

In her welcome remarks, the director of careers and counseling centre, Dr Lucky Odirile said the event objective was to empower the girl child and raise awareness of gender based violence amongst female students at the University of Botswana.

“Our objectives are to sensitise female students on gender based violence, to empower female students with life skills and to prevent and enable them to cope with the effect of gender based violence,” she said.

Dr Odirile said they wanted to empower female students to make interests in national and international gender issues especially those concerning girls and women.
“Sometimes some issues happen in our institution and even at home, so the message is to prevent occurrences such as passion killings and harassment,” she said.

For her part, the current reigning Queen Esther 2016, Ms Bophelo Mosolobe said it was important that students at UB should unite and stop violence against women.

“Violence against women includes unequal treatment between men and women, with men held and honoured better than women,” she said.

Ms Mosolobe further indicated that violence against women was carried out by nations both developed and undeveloped.

“Some other forms of violence include rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, genital mutilation, forced marriages, forced abortions, women trafficking, sexual violence and slavery, to mention a few,” she said.

She pointed out that violence against women was a violation of their human rights. “It will not be condoned and will never be accepted because we are wise enough, to know what is right and wrong. We are therefore saying no to gender violence,” she said.

Ms Mosolobe said days were near, where people would live in a world where women would be respected, given positions they deserve, walk in the streets and not fear to be raped and killed, where women would be respected for their choices without ill treatment. ENDS