Tipsy Women More Vulnerable To Rape
Pini Bothoko | Monday April 10, 2017 14:00
For the month of March only, Tlokweng recorded 11 rape cases and has already recorded two cases for the month of April with the police believing that there might be a serial rapist on the loose. Last weekend, two cases of rape were recorded at Mmopane, one each at Kopong, Mogoditshane and Gabane.
In these cases women were attacked and raped when walking from entertainment places with some being attacked while sleeping.
The Officer Commanding (OC), senior superintendent Counsel Moyo has noted with great concern the increase in rape amongst women who are attacked and raped at night when walking alone from the bars.
Moyo said women are vulnerable therefore they should not walk alone at night especially under the influence of alcohol hence urging women to be cautious at night.
He said in all of the cases but one, women were attacked whilst walking alone from bars, which shows that by walking alone at night they expose themselves to danger.
Looking at these statistics one can say they link alcohol consumption and women’s vulnerability to sexual victimisation.
This shows that the prevalence of rape is one of the most alarming crimes in this country.
It is considered a selfish, inhumane and heartless act committed by people who want to satisfy their immediate needs without having to face the effect it has on their victims. It is also believed to affect the victim emotionally, physically, lowers their dignity and one’s self esteem.
According to New York Times article titled, ‘New studies to map the mind of the rapist’, “In years past, rape was seen as the expression of an overwhelming sexual urge, one that women could invite by provocative dress or behaviour; more recently, it has been widely described as simple violence against women, expressed through sex.
Now new findings suggest that there are many kinds of rapists and that violence and eroticism hold sway to differing degrees in each”.
Asked how rapists are rehabilitated at prison the Botswana Prisons Service (BPS) spokesperson, Wamorena Ramolefe said they have character-mobilising programmes in which they use to target and address the offender’s behaviour.
He said using those different programmes they assess what influenced the offender(s) to commit crime that brought them to prison and correct their behaviour accordingly to prepare them to the society.
He said some people might commit rape acting under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and through the training programme, they mould their behaviour and teach them to learn to control themselves even after drinking alcohol.
Ramolefe stated through sex offender programme they address different kinds of sexual offences such as rape, incest, defilement to mention but a few, and educate the convicts to appreciate women, respect their feelings and not to abuse them sexually.
He said that they also educate them on positive parenting so that after serving their sentence they could be able fit into the society. He said that they also have skills training programme in which they teach prisoners life skills so that they could be able to sustain themselves when they are back into the community.
For his part, Kgomotso Jongman a social worker at the University of Botswana (UB) said usually women are raped by the people they know and in most cases they would be the ones who have been buying them alcohol at the bars.
“Some women would want to be like others, do what other women do or wear whilst they are not financially stable, something that influences such women to go to the bars to target rich men for such lifestyles, hence putting themselves at risk of being raped when they refuse the men’s sexual advances,” Jongman said.
He said since rape affects one’s emotions, spirit and behaviour, they have interventions, which they use to bring in the social function amongst the victims, look at how they relate to themselves, the society and not to isolate themselves because they usually feel worthless.
He said some women also live beyond their means, something that put them at the risk of being raped by the people who give them financial support.