'Men stop it, women are not sex objects'
Pini Bothoko | Tuesday January 17, 2023 06:00
Botswana Police Service (BPS) recorded 155 rape cases during the festive season For years rapists have been causing havoc something that has resulted in Botswana being ranked top among countries with the highest number of rape cases.
Reacting to the just released festive season rape statistics, Women Against Rape coordinator, Peggy Ramaphane, said much more needs to be done in ending Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Botswana as women and girls continue to suffer violation at the hands of their male counterparts.
Ramaphane pleaded with men to respect women and girls and stop the act of rape, stating that rape is not just physical violence, but it is also involves mental violence that is not easily forgotten.
She stated that Botswana has long been facing GBV crisis and the social ill does not seem to be ending as men continue to violate women and girls as they please. “The truth is men view women and girls as objects that do not have value.
They do not respect them at all. This is a serious concern. I am calling on the country leadership to take rape issues seriously, give it the attention it deserves, because sensitising people about it is no longer ideal,” she said.
She stated that preventing sexual violence should start with teaching young boys to respect girls from a tender age. She revealed that from a young age, girls are given advice about rape prevention hence their parents and those who care about them always worry about their safety. “Sadly, little is being done to men and boys when women and girls are given advice about rape prevention.
Parents talk more frequently with girls about rape issues than sons and they tend to frame conversations around reducing the risk of assault than curbing the assault. Men should stop raping women and girls as they are not their sex objects,” Ramaphane said. She said it is always a woman’s problem after being raped as people will ask what time it happened and where she was and not asking why the perpetrator decided to violate the victim. “Men feel entitled to a woman’s body; they always give silly excuses when a woman has been raped.
They would blame her for walking alone, getting drunk and at times even talking about her body structure and the kinds of clothes she was wearing. This should stop, men should respect women and know that ‘no means no’ because women are not sex objects. It looks like men have authority over a woman’s body and this should stop,” Ramaphane cautioned.
For his part, BPS Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commissioner, Dipheko Motube, revealed that most of the 155 cases recorded over the festive season occurred at entertainment places. Some of the victims were attacked and raped while sleeping in the comfort of their own houses. Motube revealed that they have been sensetising both men and women about rape issues, but their efforts continue to fall on deaf ears. He shared the same sentiments that something should be done to curb this social ill. He said even investigating such cases is giving them a headache as some perpetrators claim to have obtained consent from the victims and even accuse the victims of extortion.