Police and the church both in fight against crime

LERATO MALEKE
Correspondent | Friday April 13, 2012 00:00

Speaking during the Dutch Reformed Church conference in Sikwane titled 'Watch: The Lord who has died and resurrected is coming' which ended on Tuesday, Gabositwe said the Penal Code was derived from the Bible. 'Most of, if not all of the 10 commandments that were revealed by God to Moses are stated as criminal activities in the Botswana Penal Code Laws', she said.

She said that the Easter holidays are always filled jubilation and excitement, which included the consumption of alcoholic drinks.  'As usual, those with criminal minds are not left behind as they get up to all sorts of crimes; women and child abusers included,' she said. 'It is unfortunate that during some of these celebrations, crimes such as rape, defilement, domestic violence and indecent assault ensue', she continued.  Gabositwe added that many a time; out of shame, pride or ignorance, family members of victims of defilement and domestic violence often attempt to hide these incidents. She said gatherings such as Easter should not only focus on prayer, 'but also on speaking out the truth with boldness to teach victims and would-be victims their rights pertaining to domestic violence'.

She raised a concern on emotional abuse, which she said is a prevalent form of abuse, which should not be condoned. 'Victims of emotional abuse often turn out to be perpetrators of physical violence', she said, adding that churches should therefore be in a position to speak out against such evils.

'She said issues of sexual abuse are naturally touching, adding that when most people think about their daughters and sexual assault, they automatically want to protect them from dangerous situations. She asserted that more must be done to educate male children to respect women. Women make up the vast majority of victims of sexual assault, at 86 percent', she stated. She also revealed that sexual assault is fairly common among teenagers, with 67 percent of sexual assault victims under the age of 18. 'Statistics show that the vast majority of adolescents in Botswana have been victims of sexual assault and that teenagers aged 16-19 years, were 3.5 times more likely to be victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.