A call to action against GBV
Friday, November 27, 2015

Miller
The United States (US) struggles with the issue of gender-based violence (GBV). In Botswana, a country rightly known for its history of peace and commitment to the rule of law, women and girls are also victims of violence at alarming rates.
This month, the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security reported during a three-year period between 2012 and 2014 there were more than 6,000 cases of rape against women and girls – that is more than five every day. During the same period, 235 women were murdered and nearly 1,600 cases of defilement against girls under the age of 16 were reported. According to the Botswana Gender-based Violence Indicators Study published in March 2012, 67% of women in Botswana experienced some form of GBV. These numbers only reflect cases where the victim was brave enough to report the crime to police. Studies suggest many cases of GBV go unreported.
Sadly, the country seems not to have proper tools and the extent to which women and the girl-child are being abused is not adequately measured.Almost every week there are reports of women being attacked by their significant others and while men are attacked as well, women seem to be more on the receiving end.On May 24, 2023 news broke that a woman who was receiving support from the Botswana Gender-Based Violence Prevention Centre in Gaborone, was...