Human rights activist challenges Boko’s stance on violence and relationships

 

President Duma Boko’s recent remarks on divorce have sparked widespread public debate and criticism. Speaking at the Police Commissioner’s Run in Francistown, Boko revealed that the High Court is currently dealing with a backlog of approximately 2,000 divorce cases. He noted that this figure does not include the many couples who remain in unhappy marriages.

Boko advised couples who feel they can no longer live together to consider divorce. He claimed that 80 percent of married couples in Botswana experience dissatisfaction in their relationships and that many feel trapped due to fears surrounding divorce, including social stigma and community disapproval. He further argued that ongoing marital tensions contribute to incidents of gender-based violence and other forms of abuse.

However, human rights defender Dumiso Gatsha, founder of Success Capital and a queer feminist Pan-African activist, disagrees with the President’s suggestion that divorce is a solution to gender-based violence. Gatsha believes Boko’s remarks oversimplify the structural and complex social factors that drive GBV.

She argues that addressing GBV requires moving beyond excuses and acknowledging the lived experiences of survivors. “GBV should not be justified or ignored by limiting public conversations or shaping narratives that silence victims,” she said. Gatsha believes the government has the resources, systems, and legal frameworks to investigate and respond to GBV meaningfully, but lacks the political will to act decisively.

“Marital tensions, disagreements and conflicts are natural, as with any other interpersonal relationships. We are human and part of cultivating, maintaining and prolonging a healthy relationship comes with challenges. There is no sanctity of marriage without people having differences in opinion, background and or beliefs,” Gatsha said.

She explained that GBV is rooted in power imbalances and reinforced by cultural, religious and gender norms. Gatsha warned that the President’s comments risk placing blame on victims and survivors for not leaving harmful relationships. She highlighted the psychological, financial and caregiving burdens that often prevent people from walking away.

Gatsha also noted that the stigma and social consequences of divorce disproportionately affect women. “Leaders’ words are important, especially those who wield the corridors of power to ultimately determine how Batswana live. To consistently be so insensitive to the lived experiences of survivors and victims who have lost dignity, jobs, opportunities, friends, reputation and sanity should not be acceptable or normalised,” she said.

She added that those in power should be able to recognise when harm is being done, enabled or legitimised. Gatsha stressed the urgent need for socio-behavioural interventions, including comprehensive sex education, improved counselling services in schools, legislation against workplace harassment, stricter bail conditions for repeat offenders, and ongoing human rights training for public officers.

“The many statements and speeches will continue to exhaust and distract Batswana from the substance of the issues at hand: change was promised and it has not occurred. A human rights government is consistently mentioned yet everything in practice speaks to a limited few whose human rights are respected, fulfilled and enjoyed,” she said.

Gatsha concluded by saying that the state’s reluctance to declare a GBV emergency sends a message that many Batswana, including abused men, are not considered worthy of safety and dignity.