17 Jun 2025

Dominance within families and relationships has been identified as one of the major root causes of gender-based violence (GBV).

“GBV in most cases is caused by issues of dominance because men are misinformed to believe that God is a man and therefore want to dominate women, said District Ministers Fraternal board chairperson, Pastor John Kemedi.

He was speaking during a Candlelight vigil against GBV in Maun on Friday.  Organised by the Ministers Fraternal in collaboration with District Gender Committee, the event aimed to create awareness of the negative impact of GBV and the importance of prevention, to foster nationwide spiritual solidarity in addressing GBV.

Pastor Kemedi therefore, reminded men to treat women as allies, not subordinates because the Bible stated that all humans were made to resemble God and none should be mistreated.

He urged men to view women with love, respect and dignity highlighting women as invaluable treasures that needed to be cherished. 

“As men we should understand that we are not given muscles to beat or abuse women because when we beat them, we are damaging the image of God so rather, we should treat our women with equality and dignity they deserve,” he said.

Pastor Kemedi said it was disturbing that women and girls continued to suffer at the hands of those who at one point loved, protected and respected them.

Mothers and daughters, he said were precious hence should be protected and prayed for all the time as that pleased the Heavens.

Love Botswana, monitoring and evaluation officer, Mr Emmanuel Segotso said GBV was real and dealing with it needed honesty.

He advised the victims to speak out, adding that verbal and emotional abuse were the most hurtful.

Mr Segotso said support system was critical in dealing with issues of GBV and urged people to seek assistance from organisations such as Women Against Rape, which supported women and children who experienced abuse of all forms.

He also mentioned the Maun Child Friendly Centre established under Botswana Police which provided a safe and supportive environment for children experiencing violence or abuse.

District officer, Ms Boitshwarelo Rapebana thanked Ministers Fraternal in collaboration with District Gender Committee for taking the responsibility to fight GBV in the district.

Gender-based violence, she said was a serious concern in the district with high prevalence rates and appealed to the community to join forces with the government and non-governmental organisations to combat the scourge.

“GBV is a serious concern in our society and it takes many forms and we all have a moral imperative to stop it. Let us ensure they are properly protected and ensure peace in homes,” she added.

Ms Rapebana also encouraged the public to report any GBV incident so that the law could protect victims. ENDS