Let’s combat passion killings

Mmegi Editor | Monday August 14, 2023 06:00

Despite peace and tolerance being synonymous with Batswana, a series of murders glorified as passion killings have not been reflective of the standard of serenity abound in our society. There is no passion in the heinous crime of murder as usually men use weapons such as knives, axes or guns to slay their partners.

The aggrieved used to control anger or frustration and channel such feelings towards non-destructive outlets but over the years, they have been exhibiting a frightening lack of control.

They instead choose animalistic attitudes to end lives. Indeed a dark cloud has beset the nation as crimes of violence continue to take an upward trend. Gender-based violence (GBV) has been another scourge facing the nation, with violence applied against poor women and girls especially. Vulnerable groups continue to experience physical or sexual violence, mostly perpetrated by intimate partners or familial members.

We all have a right to life, but it seems men have taken the front seat to determine how long women and girls in Botswana have to live. It is also interesting how upon arrest and appearance before court, some of these men would blame alcohol and drugs for breaking the law and in most cases taking lives. Women and girls are no longer safe to stay with men as some sexually violate them, assault them to a point of killing them.

These calls for the society, especially men, to do thorough introspection and make proper reflections as they continue to kill in the name of love. The police have over the years tried to sensitise people on these societal ills but their efforts continue to hit a snag. Now, we feel there is need for parents to take charge of their children’s proper upbringing from a young age to curb this scourge.

Police statistics show that in 2022, cases involving threats-to-kill and attempted murder were pegged at 783, accounting only for cases launched against males. The COVID-19 lock down periods came and exposed how acute gender-related crimes were, with over 24,432 GBV cases reported. There was an alarming spike in domestic violence as women did not have anywhere to escape from their abusers, with some family members demonstrating behaviours that their close family members were not aware of.

Every week we carry reports of murder cases in which women are killed at the hands of their lovers across the country, something that women seem to have had enough of and have started taking the law into their own hands, perhaps, as way of retaliation. We therefore call upon our nation to join hands in combating the scourge of passion killings so that we can continue enjoying the gift of life again without fear of attacks from our loved ones. The police can only win the battle against this scourge if we intentionally manage our tempers and seek help from competent people well in time if relationships are no longer working.

Today's thought

“The world needs people who save lives.”

-Frederick Buechner