The struggle for bodily integrity

Evil trend: Unwanted touching, marital rape are all forms of bodily integrity violations PIC: IMPACT COMPLIANCE TRAINING
Evil trend: Unwanted touching, marital rape are all forms of bodily integrity violations PIC: IMPACT COMPLIANCE TRAINING

The principle of ‘bodily integrity’ adds the right of each human being, including children, to autonomy and self-determination over their own body. It considers unconsented physical intrusion as a human rights violation. While the principle has traditionally been raised in connection with practices such as torture, inhumane treatment and forced disappearance, bodily integrity has the potential to apply to a wide range of human rights violations, which affect girls, women and sexual minority groups. Mmegi Correspondent NNASARETHA KGAMANYANE writes

To raise awareness on issues of bodily autonomy and integrity, Success Capital recently held a documentary screening where there were also discussions about Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) amongst young Lesbian Bisexual and Queer (LBQ) women, storytelling on unsafe abortion as well as Bodily Autonomy and Integrity (BAI) as a way of reaching out to different stakeholders including ordinary Batswana. In an interview, Success Capital director, Dumiso Gasha said it was important for the organisation to ensure that they gauge perspectives and experiences on issues such as intimate partner violence. He pointed out that this was one topic that is not often spoken about at home, work or even in church.

“Gender-based violence (GBV) has been a big issue as the shadow pandemic amidst global lockdowns and our state of emergency with regular media reports of violence including passion killings and threats,” Gasha said.

Editor's Comment
Women's bodies are not a man's playground!

In most of these cases, all this violence is done in the name of love! Love is a beautiful thing and no one who claims to love another can ever wish harm on the object of their affection let alone inflict pain upon them.A few weeks ago, the nation was shaken following the gruesome murder of two little innocent souls by their father, who after that painful act committed suicide. One of the biggest challenges that we face as a nation is that we...

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