26 Dec 2020

Batenegi at Parliament, in collaboration with Centre for Youth of Hope (CEYOHO) have joined the fight against gender-based violence (GBV).

Through a community dialogue forum, held recently at CEYOHO, Batenegi at Parliament appealed to the society to deal with GBV, which was described as a societal ill.

Speaking during the event, Minister of Transport and Communication, who is also Member of Parliament for Tlokweng, Mr Thulagano Segokgo applauded CEYOHO and Batenegi at Parliament for their contribution in dealing with GBV.

Mr Segokgo said Parliament had recently passed Sexual Offenders Bill, with the view to deal with GBV cases. Mr Segokgo appealed to the youth to desist from indulging in taking alcohol at a young age. He added that sexual relations with older people with the view of bettering their lives were also not advisable as it exposed them to GBV.

For his part, Oageng Batenegi of Batenegi at Parliament said GBV was a ‘monster’ that should not have any place in society. He added that GBV had destroyed family structures as well as the entire society.

Therefore, Mr Batenegi observed that the fight against GBV was a collective responsibility. He said dealing with GBV was not reserved for law enforcement officers.

Mr Batenegi explained that GBV had been identified as one of the contributors to the spread of HIV/AIDS, hence the need to work together to curb the situation.

Sub Inspector Patrick Maokisa of Tlokweng Police Station appealed to the community to work closely with the police in order to win the fight against GBV.

Sub Insp. Maokisa advised parents not to shy away from reporting GBV cases even if perpetrators were family members or friends. He added that allowing young girls and boys to suffer sexual abuse for the sake of getting handouts in return from the perpetrators would not help as the victims would in future, suffer the negative aftermath of the abuse. Sub Insp. Maokisa urged men to also report when abused by their female partners. BOPA