Mma Atsile: Return to the crossroads

Botswana will join the rest of the world on November 25th to launch the 16 days of activism against Gender based violence (GBV). This year, the national launch will be held on a bigger scale and will take place at the National Stadium. The event will start with a march from the four cardinal points of Gaborone, which will end at the National Stadium where the main activities will take place. Speaking at the GaMalete main kgotla where the National Gender Commission Chairperson, Kgosi Mosadi Seboko was hosting the First Lady, Neo Masisi, the Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs, Dorcas Makgato called on churches and civil society to become (GBV) activists. “What are you doing with that pain and anger,” she asked. In order to scale up the fight against GBV, Makgato says the nation has to move from 16 days to 365 days of national action. She said there is need to also adopt multi-sectoral and multi-pronged approach to ending violence against women. Makgato implored the nation to attend the event in large numbers. The nation is still reeling in shock following the events that saw a young woman, Bonolo Kerekang being buried without her head earlier this year. Kerekang was allegedly beheaded by her boyfriend, Simon Kgowe. Her body was dumped at Maratanang Ward in Tlokweng. Makgato never imagined that such a gruesome thing could happen in Botswana. “I never thought that a person could be buried without a head in Botswana. Everyone must stand up and be counted,” she said. She said government recognises that though significant progress has been made since independence, a lot still needs to be done to achieve gender parity. “Gender Based Violence is still a pain that needs intense strategies if we are to eradicate it. To this end, my ministry concluded the piloting of the Gender Based Violence Referral System in 2017 through the support of the United Nations Joint Gender Programme and the American government. This has provided indicative information on improving management of GBV cases,” said the minister. First Lady Mma Atsile said that (GBV) issues were of great concern. She advised the nation to familiarise itself with policies such as SADC Gender Protocol, and the National Policy on Gender and Development. “Let us study them, and know their contents. And also identify areas where we can make contributions,” she said. She said that it was high time that the nation went back to the drawing board to try and establish where things went wrong. “Where did we go wrong as a nation,” asked Masisi, who added that GBV should be a taboo.