04 May 2022

 A lot still needs to be done to eliminate gender based violence (GBV), Ms Onneile Tebele of Serowe District Health Management Team (DHMT) has said.
Speaking at a GBV and HIV/AIDS sponsored walk that was organised by the office of Member of Parliament for Serowe North, Ms Tebele said GBV did not only affect women, but also affected men.

She said for a long time, efforts to fight gender based violence were centered on women, adding that women also abused men.
She said this had caused inequality, bias and also hindered efforts to win the war as GBV was not addressed wholly.

Ms Tebele further explained that GBV also contributed to the spread of HIV, saying an HIV negative person was at risk of contracting the virus in an abusive relationship as they may be forced to have unsafe sex.

She applauded the office of the Member of Parliament for Serowe North, for putting together the event, saying GBV needed combined efforts, as it had caused untold damage both in families and in work places.

Ms Peoyame Tladi of Gender Affairs lauded the office for the effort, saying GBV awareness activities were crucial, as they availed stakeholders a platform to speak on issues surrounding the scourge.

Ms Tladi said GBV coud be sexual, financial, emotional as well as physical, adding that men were mostly perpetrators in sexual and physical abuse because of their physical strength, while women were perpetrators of emotional abuse.

Ms Tladi said Department of Gender Affairs  conducted a Botswana National Relationship  study in 2018, which revealed that men were mostly abused verbally by women, who use degrading words to destroy their dignity and confidence. She said the study further showed that some men end up suffering from depression, which led to suicide.
She explained that GBV outcomes included death, disability, sickness including HIV infection, as well as poor nutrition, in cases where there was financial abuse.

Sergeant Oarabile Tom, who is the Serowe police station gender and child protection office officer in charge, said Botswana Police Service welcomed the involvement of other stakeholders in the fight against GBV.

He said the BPS prioritised GBV cases and had put in place special services that helped fight it, citing a hotline specifically created for GBV victims and operated by experienced personnel.
Sergeant Tom further said GBV statistics were disheartening, adding they had registered an increase in rape, defilement and murder cases since 2020.

 He explained that in 2020, there were 118 cases of rape, 140 in 2021 and as from January to date they had already registered 55.
He said they also had 86 cases of defilement in 2020, 114 in 2021 and 35 from January to date.

He called on parents to take a stand, for the safety of their children and always ensure that they are aware of their children’s whereabouts; who their friends were and also instill discipline in them.

Sergeant Tom implored the public to come forth, if they had any new ideas and feedback that could help in the fight against GBV, saying ‘together, the community, the police and all concerned stakeholders can overcome GBV’. ENDS