Defilement and rape criminals walk free in Gantsi
Leinanyana Tsiane | Tuesday August 12, 2014 11:46
In an interview, district AIDS coordinator, Tshoganetso Mahupe, said the majority of cases go unreported which leads to perpetrators not facing the wrath of the law. Mahupe said some of the reasons for not reporting are that a majority of victims do not have identity documents or even birth certificates, which makes it difficult to verify their age. Mahupe, who said the majority of cases involve vulnerable children and orphans, added that even where parents want to report, the lack of of Omang and birth certificates wasa hindrance.
“When victims do not have the relevant documents it becomes a challenge to verify their age. There is currently a campaign to register those children who are eligible for identity documents but don’t have them,” she said. She added that most young girls are raped while sleeping in their homes. She also said most people are disadvantaged with their way of living as some homesteads do not have enough space forcing children to sleep outside. Mahupe revealed that in certain cases, victims imbibe alcohol and sleep in drunken states, leaving them open to abuse and assault. “When the victim wakes up, that is when they realise tthey have been raped,” Mahupe explained. “It will only be by sheer luck if a condom has been used during the act. This has also increased the number of teenage pregnancies and e HIV prevalence in the region.”
The 2013 Botswana AIDS Impact Survey showed an increase of HIV prevalence by 13.5 percent in 2008 to 17.1 percent with 14.6 percent males and 19.9 percent females. The report also indicates that factors such as multiple and concurrent sexual partnership, adolescent and inter-generational sex, alcohol abuse, stigma discrimination, gender-based violence and sexual abuse are factors contributing to the high increase in HIV prevalence.
Mahupe said they have embarked on Community Capacity Enhancement (CCE) whereby they have conversations with residents in Gantsi, D’Kar, Kcagae, Grootlagte, Bere and East and West Hanahai. In these discussions, they engage community members on issues such as HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence and teenage pregnancy. She said the the community usually discusses its problems and repeatedly talks about their most urgent priorities.