The MPs made the remarks when commenting on a statement presented by the Parliamentary Caucus on Women chairperson, Helen Manyeneng, on International Women’s Day celebrated on Saturday. They added that many women remain trapped in abusive relationships due to financial dependency on men who are mostly perpetrators of GBV. The legislators argued that empowering women, particularly those in rural areas, would provide them with the means to escape violent situations and build independent lives. Assistant Minister of Health, who is also the MP for Nata-Gweta, Lawrence Ookeditse called on the government to look into rural development to improve the livelihoods of women, especially in rural areas.
He said most women are faced with GBV, but those in rural areas are most affected because they face economic hardships. “Economically-challenged women are more vulnerable to GBV perpetrated by economically sound men. As the government, we should invest in improving the livelihoods of women and girls in rural areas,” Ookeditse said. “Those people suffer abuse on a daily basis and some even think it's a normal thing to happen. Some of them are unable to leave abusive relationships because they have no financial security. We need urgent interventions that will enable them to become self-sufficient,” he added. For his part, Mogoditshane East MP, Letlhogonolo Barongweng argued that economically-challenged women are more vulnerable because economic hardships can create a cycle of dependency and limit their ability to escape abusive situations, whilst also increasing their vulnerability to exploitation. He stated that recently they held a meeting with young women in his constituency and most of them conceded that their livelihoods make them vulnerable to GBV hence the need for government to consider empowering women and girls. In his contribution, MP for Bobirwa, Taolo Lucas implored the government to consider strengthening policies and enforcement mechanisms to protect survivors of GBV, including safe shelters and accessible legal services. He said most survivors are concerned by the number of years the GBV cases take before they can be prosecuted at the courts. “More women have been killed by their perpetrators whilst out on bail and some even have been given restraining orders. “This is a concern and I want to challenge you as the Parliamentary Caucus on Women not to issue statements condemning GBV, but to come up with ways to curb this scourge,” Lucas said.
