30 Nov 2020

 The Assistant Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Ms Beauty Manake, says 16 days of activism against gender-based violence (GBV) are this year held under the theme: Orange the World; Fund, Respond Prevent Collect.

Speaking after the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) women’s wing march against GBV recently, Ms Manake said the commemoration amplified a  call for global action to focus on prevention and collection of data that could improve life-saving services for women and girls.

She said noted that the implementation of extreme social distancing measures exacerbated passion killings as well as physical and sexual abuse of women, minor children, the elderly and imbeciles.

However, she said economic strains of the COVID-19 pandemic had increased the vulnerability of mostly women and girls whose incomes and other means of sustainable living had been severely eroded.

She said the BDP should support investment, leadership and action against violence on women and children, adding that there was plea of girls and boys molested by those entrusted to protect them.

“The screaming voices of women raped, women butchered and women bruised by men is so tormenting and the stories of the survivors cannot be ignored any longer,” she said.

Ms Manake said no one was immune to violence and it was so today, tomorrow and some days to come as people were still going to lose their loved ones to passion killings.

She said the threat was imminent if the society did not take action and become others keepers, speak out and educate their children about human rights and groom boys to be good and responsible citizens.

The Assistant Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Culture Development and also MP for Francistown East, Mr Buti Billy advised that similar future activities, should shun GBV perpetrators.

Mr Billy said they could target places such as bars, shebeens and where people gather for sports games.

He said one of the pillars of 2016 talked about Batswana being a proud nation and asked how that could be so when GBV was still rampant?

Mr Billy advised men not to stalk their partners by searching their phones to check who they communicate with, with the intention to assault them.

Former Tatitown Customary Court president, Ms Ludo Mosojane said Batswana should come up with a name for GBV, considering its effects were greater than those of the 1st World War.

She said power dynamics in relationships meant that when men realised that women were as equal, GBV reared its ugly head.

Ms Mosojane observed that there was too much among Batswana which fueled violence.

She encouraged individuals to introspect. ends