16 Dec 2019

  Adult men and boys play a significant role in the alarming rate of HIV infections, gender based violence (GBV) and teenage pregnancy in Botswana, says Mr Jan Sadek. 

  Mr Sadek, who is European Union (EU) ambassador to Botswana, said for that reason the issue needed to be addressed. 

He was speaking during a ‘Let’s Talk! Men and Boys’ event held at Botswana International University of Science and Technology recently.

Mr Sadek said 38 adolescent girls and young women in Botswana were infected with HIV every week adding that coupled with high teenage pregnancy rate, alarming prevalence of GBV and high school dropout, was cause for concern.

He said over two thirds of women in Botswana had experienced some form of  GBV in their lifetime while around 45 per cent of men admitted to perpetrating violence against women.

He said the alarming data spoke about the high burden on adolescent girls, young women and women in general. 

Mr Sadek said the ‘Let’s Talk! Men and Boys’ initiative aimed at holding inter-generational sessions between adult role models and young mentees to discuss the role of men and boys in addressing social and cultural factors contributing to HIV, GBV and teenage pregnancy.

He pointed out that the 16 days of activism against GBV had sent a clear message that men and boys had to be engaged in ending the scourge because they were the main perpetrators.There was also need to promote positive masculinity, he said.

He called for support from political leadership and community leaders.

Mr Sadek commended government for having understood the seriousness of the situation and keeping it high on the agenda.

“What we need to achieve together is a change of attitudes, and that of course is a long term process,” he said.

He pointed out that EU had considered HIV/AIDS top priority since it first broke out and had significantly invested in research, access to treatment and stood up against stigma and discrimination.

 Noting that much progress had been made, he said; “However we must not be complacent, if we want to end the epidemic by 2030”.He said in order to realise Millennium Development Goals, EU had strengthened efforts to work with local communities to combat HIV/AIDS.

On GBV, he said the organisation had worked with a local NGO called ‘Monna Tia’  with former vice president Dr Ponatshego Kedikilwe and musician Socca Moruakgomo as campaign ambassadors.

He said EU had partnered with First Lady Neo Masisi and UNAIDS in the fight against HIV/AIDS and GBV. Ends