09 Oct 2022

Government is against all forms of discrimination against women, Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture (MYSC), Mr Tumiso Rakgare has said.

He was speaking recently in Francistown during the northern region consultative meeting in preparation for the fifth Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

He said Botswana was participating in regional organisations to have access to opportunities that will enable gender equality.

He said the state parties in preparation for the fifth report were expected to undertake national consultation in which all stakeholders would participate.

“Inclusion of stakeholders such as the civil society in the consultative process is crucial at this initial step,” he said.

Being part of the convention, he said, government had been monitored for progress on the implementation of CEDAW with useful feedback and recommendations on areas to improve.

“The committee acknowledged Botswana’s achievements, which were shared with the stakeholders to keep creating equal access to socio-economic opportunities and public life. Government is also committed to undertake a series of measures to end the discrimination leading to the review of the constitution of Botswana to include the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sex and establishment of public institutions such as the Gender Affairs Department,” he added.

He said the regulations on Gender and Child Protective Rights would allow for women to prosper in some areas that were commonly restricted, adding the Sexual Registry Act of 2021 would also come handy.

Mr Rakgare highlighted the importance of achieving all the set-up goals on gender equality through the recommendations made in the last report submitted in 2018.

These recommendations, he said, were for the country to employ and allow room for improvement, especially in the preparations for the current report.

He further advised all relevant stakeholders to get involved and participate in curbing gender inequality.

Even though gender-based violence cases seemed to still be a concern in the country, he said the ministry was committed to speeding up engagements on tackling the issue in a systematic and effective way.

He applauded the Botswana Prisons Services for joining in the GBV response by launching its programme: The Perpetrators Voice, where inmates shared their rehabilitation stories.

He commended government for establishing specialised GBV courts to speed up cases related to such, adding that although GBV cases were still lagging behind, efforts were in place to speed up the process.

Director of Gender Affairs Department, Ms Thapelo Phuthego, underscored the importance of addressing issues of discrimination against women in all spheres of life.

She said Botswana acceded to the convention in 1996 after its adoption by the United Nations in 1979 to eliminate all laws that discriminate against women.

This, she said, was government’s intention to remove gender biases and provide legal services to those whose rights were violated.

For his part, Assistant Minister at MYSC, Mr Buti Billy, said about 72 per cent of women were directors and that in the near future, the percentage might increase.

Mr Billy said same-sex marriage should be discussed extensively, adding the society had to relax based on the law that called for freedom of association, speech, interaction expression and others. Ends