COVID-19 exacerbates GBV crisis

Speaking during the official opening of the national workshop on COVID-19 and GBV held at Hilton Hotel recently, Sadek said the lockdowns and other restrictions halted efforts put in place to fight the scourge, which remains a major concern for the country.

“We have seen increased reports on GBV around the globe, and unfortunately Botswana is no exception. The lockdowns affected social patterns and family life. Botswana like many countries in Africa and the rest of the world registers a lot of GBV cases in a normal year. It is one of the most common yet unacknowledged and serious human rights violation in the SADC region,” he added.