Comment: Multi- pronged strategy to address GBV scourge a welcome development

From the 1st of December 2020, government will establish specialised courts at the level of all Chief Magistrate Courts that shall treat all Gender based Violence ( GBV) cases as urgent matters.

The announcement was made by the Minister of Defence Justice and Security, Kagiso Mmusi who said that the cases will now be expedited in their disposal in accordance with the Practice Directive No. 9 of 2020.

The courts are in Molepolole, Gaborone, Francistown, Maun, Palapye and Selebi Phikwe. An additional court will be established in Mogoditshane during this financial year. Botswana Guardian welcomes these developments and as the minister says, the hope is that the interventions will contribute to national efforts to curb and address incidences of GBV.

Gender- based violence is a big concern in Botswana. Harrowing stories of women and children being raped and killed are a constant feature on our national newspaper every single week. Just this week our sister publication, The Midweek Sun reported about a primary school teacher in Kang who was chopped to death by her estranged lover this past weekend while her three young children watched helplessly. Every single week the nation is bombarded with these kinds of sad stories.

In Botswana statistics on gender- based violence, especially rape makes for sob reading. Close to 140 women are being raped every month or four women are being raped every day in Botswana. 2,052 rape cases were recorded in the year 2016 against 2,163 cases recorded in 2015. From December 20, 2019 until January 5, 2020, the police recorded 133 rapes as compared to 110 cases registered last year. These numbers are very high considering our small population. Add that to the number of women and children being murdered by ruthless men and this will show how serious the matter is. However, establishing these specialised courts is not enough, as minister Mmusi notes, there is a need to engage in proactive and preventative measures.

We note and applaud his ministry, the Botswana Police Service, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions ( DPP) and Administration of Justice ( AoJ) for having already established specialised structures within their respective departments to deal with GBV. In terms of expedited investigations, prosecutions and adjudications of GBV crime, Mmusi’s ministry has the portfolio responsibility to ensure that the necessary legislative framework is in place to enhance efforts to address crime.

It is a welcome development that the penal code is currently being amended to enhance penalties for perpetrators of gender- based violence. The Sex Offenders’ Register Bill 2020, which was published on the 16th of September 2020, is also expected to contribute to addressing incidences of GBV.