How police fought a losing battle against GBV in 2023
Pini Bothoko | Wednesday December 20, 2023 08:41
The World Population Review of 2023 cites Botswana as having the highest incidence of rape in the world, at 92.93 per 100,000 people, as GBV remains one of the most devastating, persistent, and widespread human rights violations.
Reports further indicate that over two-thirds of women in Botswana report having experienced some form of gender violence in their lifetime, including partner and non-partner violence. Ending violence against women and girls remains a hurdle for the police, with recorded disturbing cases in which women and children are abused, sexually assaulted, and even killed by their male partners, relatives, and/or acquaintances.
According to the police, this violence is depicted in crimes such as aggravated assaults, threats to kill, murder, rape, and defilement. RAPE: Women and girls continue to bear the brunt of rape, living in deep fear of rapists and lovers causing them harm.
Most of these cases have been identified as date rape, with perpetrators often being ex-lovers, casual friends, and individuals that victims are familiar with. Some women are attacked and raped while walking alone from entertainment places or when roused from sleep.
However, in a continued efforts to curb and prevent sexual offences, government has, on September 15, 2023, increased penalties against sexual offences. The Penal Code Amendment Act of 2021 has been amended to enhance penalties. Once convicted of rape, the convicts may now spend the rest of their life in prison. Moreover, any person charged with the offence of rape shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to a minimum term of 20 years imprisonment or a maximum term of life imprisonment. In addition, if the rape, according to court findings, also resulted in violence or injury to the victim, the perpetrator will have a minimum sentence of 25 years or a maximum of life imprisonment with or without corporal punishment. Despite these penalties, women continue to live in the deepest fear of rapists.
MURDER: Homes are no longer safe spaces for women as they continue to lose their lives at the hands of their intimate partners, either a husband or a boyfriend. Recorded cases of women dying at the hands of their intimate partners continue to spiral out of control despite police efforts to curb this scourge.
Just like the previous years, 2023 showed an increase in murder incidents, urging the government to act with due diligence to curb this scourge and investigate deeply to establish the causes and come up with relevant interventions. DEFILEMENT: Police have recently revealed that 5,000 cases of sexual violence against minors were recorded in two years, marking the highest figures the country has ever registered. In 2020, police recorded 1,825 cases of defilement while 2,033 were recorded in 2021 and 2,059 in 2022. These cases further spiralled out of control this year. To help curb the scourge, the government has increased penalties against sexual offences. As of September 15, 2023, for those convicted of defilement, where they are convicted of sexually abusing children below the age of 18, the minimum charge is now 20 years or a maximum of life in prison.