When wolves shepherd sheep
Mmegi Editor | Thursday December 10, 2015 14:37
More and more women are breaking into what has largely been a preserve for men as they are getting involved in sports.
With sports transforming into a thriving industry, employing multitudes, it is critical that women get an equal slice of the cake. Amantle Montsho epitomises the country’s unrelenting efforts and she has inspired a generation.
The country has seen the emergence of promising female athletes such as Naomi Ruele, Naledi Marape and Leungo Matlhaku. These are talented athletes who deserve every support and protection in order to be as equally successful.
Naturally, men are still found at the helm of most sports disciplines, even those predominantly played by women. However, more women are being empowered to take over leadership positions in order to chart their own path.
Botswana has committed to pushing the girl child agenda as evidenced by various interventions and policies. But in the middle of these strides, there is a vexing challenge where men are proving to be the spanners in the works. There are widespread reports that girls, some as young as 13, are sexually abused by the very same people who are supposed to be their guardians. Some unscrupulous men who are either coaches or officials are preying on vulnerable female athletes. Such deviance threatens to reverse recent gains made in promoting women in sport.
In our issue yesterday, we carried an article in which the Botswana National Sports Commission and the International Working Group expressed concerns over growing abuse of female athletes.
BNSC chairperson, Solly Reikeletseng, called for the implementation of a sexual harassment policy. IWG secretary general, Game Mothibi said sexual harassment was driving away female athletes, which retards sports development.
It flies in the face of promoting gender equality in sports when, on one hand we run campaigns to have girls in sport and on the other, we expose them to abuse. They deserve our protection and we cannot afford to have wolves shepherd our sheep. We implore authorities to pick pace and leave no stone unturned in their efforts to root out this vice.
We commend sports authorities’ energy to decisively deal with the matter.
Only recently, a campaign, HeForShe, meant to fight gender violence in sport, was launched.
The sad part is that some of the cases will go unreported and perpetrators will continue with their dastardly acts, making the sports field an unattractive haven for the girl child. But a few rotten apples should not spoil the whole bunch and at this critical hour, we cannot afford to drop the ball.
Today’s thought
“When you’ve got something to prove, there’s nothing greater than a challenge.”
– Terry Bradshaw