The association’s concern follows the country’s festive season statistics on GBV incidents by the police revealing that 60 women and girls were raped, 19 murdered, and 13 defiled from December 19, 2024 to January 2, 2025. FAB noted with concern that survivors of GBV require access to and well-resourced crisis centres, psycho-social support, and legal assistance to ensure they can rebuild their lives with dignity. “We are deeply troubled and outraged by the harrowing statistics released by the Botswana Police Service (BPS). These figures represent a grim reminder of the pervasive violence that women and girls in our society continue to face. This is not just a statistic, it is a reflection of lives lost, futures stolen, and communities broken. These numbers underscore a profound failure in protecting women and girls from violence, despite repeated calls for systemic reforms and stronger preventive measures,” reads an association’s media release.
FAB further called for the establishment of a dedicated funding for both Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and State agencies responsible for supporting survivors, with allocations clearly provisioned in the national budget. They argued that the festive season, a time traditionally associated with joy and togetherness, has instead become a period of fear and tragedy for too many women in Botswana. The association said this pattern of violence must be addressed as a national epidemic. “It is unacceptable that such heinous crimes continue with little accountability or effective intervention. As an organisation committed to gender justice, we demand urgent and sustained action to address this epidemic of violence. We call on the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services and the Botswana Police Service to prioritise cases of GBV, ensuring timely investigations, prosecutions, and convictions for perpetrators. Moreover, we call on the Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs to produce a robust and actionable national framework to prevent gender-based violence, one that includes measurable targets and accountability mechanisms,” reads the media release. Furthermore, they argued that there must be coordinated public education campaigns to address the root causes of GBV including toxic masculinity, cultural norms, and systemic inequalities.
