16 Mar 2020

Divisional Commander for North Central, Botswana Police Services, Mr Christopher Mbulawa says they are worried by the increasing number of murder, rape and defilement cases North Central Division statistics registered in the past three years.

Speaking at a one-day Gender Based Violence motivational workshop for North Central Division, themed: An injury to one is an injury to all, in Palapye recently Mr Mbulawa said in 2017, about 93 murder cases were registered while 87 and 101 were registered in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

He said 575 603 and 697 were registered between 2017 and 2019. The region registered 165, 332 and 329 respectively in the same years.

The divisional commander said one of the rape cases included that of a five-year old girl.

He said women and the girlchild remained the most vulnerable groups, adding that 99 per cent of children were victims of defilement.

The workshop, attended  Senior Police officer and their subordinates aimed to sensitise them on issues of GBV, as law enforcement officers.

The divisional commander the need for men to stand up and protect women. He also urged police officers to assist and speak out with one voice to fight the GBV.
 

Mr Mbulawa also appealed to members of the public especially men who are mocked by police officers when lodging cases of abuse to step up so that action can be taken against such officers.
 

He pleaded with police officer to respect their clients and to keep secrets as they are duty bound to do so, he said everyone who come to their offices should be treated fairly regardless of their  sexual orientation.

He said they had consultation offices to enable victims to be free to express themselves.

General Medical Practitioner, from a private clinic Mr Louis Mazengwe shared the recent pandemic of COVID-19 with workshop attendants noting that the number of  affected countries were  increasing at a high rate.

He stressed that prevention was better than cure, and urged everyone to take precautions by practicing good hygiene.

One of the police officers, a motivator and also a GBV victim said, ‘I shall not remain silent,  instead I am willing to share with other women the impact of GBV, so that they can well understand it as it has no boundaries.’

Sergeant Bonno Gaefele who is also a GBV motivator shared her experience and called upon women not to undermine themselves, adding they should know and understand that they were very important to the society. She said the effective therapy was to speak out.

Sgt Gaefele said because of the abuse she suffered during marriage, she had been living with bullets in her head and arm for 18 years.

Other speakers strongly emphasized the importance of establishing the root cause of GBV with the intension of coming up with solutions.

Seventh Day Adventist pastor Bosenakitso Chabale and a Counselor Ms Galeo Odirile touched on the four types of GBV being physical, sexual, emotional and psychological, socioeconomic violence which they said needed to be addressed with assistance of those who were capable to do so.

They explained emotional abuse being the most dangerous abuse that one could come across.

Police officers such as any other human being are not immune, are likely to be victims and perpetrators, hence they were advised to always seek assistance from their counterparts such as social welfare officers, counselors and other relevant offices, as they are also expected to be responsible officers.

Botswana Police Services had adopted harassment policy (2013) at workplace to prevent GBV.

Giving vote of thanks Assistant Commissioner (CID) head of division in Palapye Ms Oabitsa Rankwaila appreciated presenters, noting that their presentations were eye-opener and hoped the information would be put into practice.

She raised  concern on high rate of defilement cases, where in most time parents whose children were victims withdraw cases forgetting that a scar had been left on the victim.

He called upon the gathering to respect women as mothers, parents, wives, sisters responsible for the  upbringing of children. Ends