Learn to speak out—Dr Chiepe on GBV
Sharon Mathala | Tuesday October 25, 2022 06:00
Nearly 70% of women in Botswana have experienced physical or sexual abuse, more than double the global average, a concern that has one of the most decorated women in Botswana concerned.
“Do not look the other way when you see acts of violence; talk about it and say no you can't do that. If you look the other way, everything bad will happen. We can't live under the illusion that we didn’t see it happen,” she said.
The 100-year-old further advised victims to speak out: “Do not be afraid to speak out against your abuser fearing that maybe he holds a certain position in society.
We have instances where children tell mothers their painful ordeals and they don’t get help from their very protectors. I strongly advise against this because it has ripple effects on the type of woman she will become in future.” Asked what the problem could be, Chiepe simply does not know because, according to her comparing to the earlier days, women are now more empowered to defend themselves.
According to Chiepe, more women are educated and do not entirely depend on their male counterparts for support. “I don’t know what the problem is and yet it ought to be easier to tackle GBV because people now can talk.
There was a time when you couldn’t talk about it. When it happened to your daughter only the family would know and of course, young men were the main cause of GBV going scot-free.
They seem to have thought it was their God-given right but young women now go to school as much as the men so it can't be they are more educated,” she said. “Women ought to speak out. They ought to fight; it’s not being unladylike to fight. Let's not get defeated without fighting,” she said.