Botswana: Empowering women and youth; a key approaching to ending GBV

In most cases, the police are the first contact with both victims and perpetrators of gender based violence and in compiling statistics of reported cases and incidents, it came to light that women and youth are the most victimized. This is because they either do not have knowledge on the aspects of gender based violence or they are subjected to abuse and violence because of the status of them being women and children. this called for action hence we undertook initiatives to empower them in all means possible and necessary so that they avoid being victimised.

This project set out to educationally empower women and youth about what gender based violence is, the signs of a victim of gender based violence, the forms it comes in, its effects as well as preventative measures. we also educated, especially women, on the importance of financial independence as well as measures to invest and empower themselves financially. We also empowered women on the advantages and disadvantages of cohabitation so long as gender based violence.

Furthermore, these objectives came forth after analysis of the statistics and realizing that victimized women are those who tend to depend on their partner or spouses financially or they are not aware of what gender based violence is.

The main activities are:

• Educational campaigns at primary and Junior schools.
• Facilitated at various workshops organized by other departments and organizations.
• Undertook house to house campaigns.
• On various occasions, we visited churches and did educational campaigns.
• We also did public education campaigns at shopping complexes and shebeens.
• We hosted a women empowerment Pitso for Police officers in the Southern Division.

The project reached  500 direct beneficiaries. The Lobatse Police financial allocation not available for budgetary resources allocated to this project.

The project monitoring and evaluation is done by monthly compilation and comparison of statistics as well as constant visits to victims to do a follow up on the impact of our interventions.

The main challenge in carrying this project is lack of funding for gender activities but we overcame this by implementing initiatives that do not need funds and in instances where we have to carry projects that need funding we depend on our own contributions. The nature of the police work and the demarcation of policing areas also hinders delivery of the initiative since at most times the mandatory police work of policing is given priority and manpower diverted to such as well as the initiative proving beneficial at only the policing area where it is being implemented.

Due to this initiative, women have stood a better chance to know that depending on your partner or spouse full time while you are able bodied or have other means of making ends meet, can subject you to abuse and gender based violence since your provider will have power over your life thus even if one is abused, they tend to keep quiet and only come out to report when the damage has already been done. After the Women Empowerment Pitso that was hosted by the Women Network, women understood the importance of financial independence and investing as way of alleviating themselves from poverty.

” Following the assistance I got from police officers about the need for me to stay away from being a victim of gender based violence, I have since understood the need to be independent and work to make ends meet for myself and I have since sought employment as a police volunteer and I know earn my own salary and have moved from the verbal and emotional abuse I got from my partner”. Miss Naledi Nthutang, Police Volunteer.

Men have now come to understand the need to support women empowerment initiatives. This has led to them taking a leading role in anti-gender based violence campaigns and even speaking on behalf of women in public gatherings. Men have also started to understand that women empowerment is not a way of taking away the masculinity aspect of their lives but a way of bringing peace to the society.

This campaign can be sustained by intensifying message delivery on the importance of gender equality and the need to empower women and children . The media houses present in the country should assist in being our mouth piece in spreading these messages and for the messages to reach the entire population. Networking and benchmarking is also one important aspect that can help in sustaining the post 2015 agenda.