11 Apr 2022

Government views Gender Based Violence (GBV) in serious light and has put in place initiatives and processes to end it.

Principal Gender Officer at the Department of Gender Affairs Ms Matshidiso Thathana said this at a Botswana Mine Workers Union (BMWU) workshop in Palapye over the weekend.

Ms Thathana said the concern was so serious that President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi established a high level inter-ministerial committee comprising six ministries to directly deal with GBV issues and provide guidance on response.

Other responses included establishing specialised courts to specifically deal with cases, with the result cases were heard sooner.

Moreover, she said, Botswana Police Service had in an effort to strengthen provision of remedies and support for victims, established a Gender and Child Protection Unit.

The unit had trained personnel and a friendly environment that allowed women and children to freely report cases, she said.

Ms Thathana added that government, with EU support, and in partnership with Stepping Stone International was in the process of finalising guidelines on child welfare and abuse for use by dikgosi.

However, she said notwithstanding the achievements, Botswana still had much to do in terms of identifying and closing gaps to improve prevention, mitigation and response in the workplace.

President of Botswana Mines Union (BMWU) Mr Joseph Tsimako said women in the mining industry had been disproportionately impacted by gender inequality than men.

This, he said, was because mining operation policies were not designed with women in mind, resulting in much frustration for women.

The problem filtered to related mining structures such as the union, which had little women participation, he said.

To make matters worse, opportunities for women in the mining sector were few, creating a vicious cycle that obliterated women participation in the industry. Having noted this anomaly, the union took deliberate steps towards ending the status quo, by first transforming as an organisation, said Mr Tsimako.

He said the union’s change agenda was predicated on three key pillars: Transformation, Capacity Building and Sustainability.

He explained that in line with the agenda, they planned to have more women in union committees.

They would further ensure that trainings, research and education programmes adopted a gender sensitive approach.

He noted that the union had been advocating uniform standards for mining, against which employees could hold employers accountable for gender inequalities.

Morupule Coal Mine (MCM) acting general manager Mr Tidimalo Tito said to fight the problem, the mine had created an environment where GBV and sexual harassment victims could report abuse without fear or victimisation.

This, she said, was made possible by systems that provided for confidentiality and the right to privacy.

The workshop was held under the theme: Empowerment and Awareness raising on Gender Based Violence and Harassment in the Workplace.ENDS