Intersections of GBV and corporal punishment in Botswana

In Botswana, corporal punishment is believed to be a necessity if orderly education is to take place. During President Festus Mogae’s time, the intensification of the application of corporal punishment was encouraged as it was believed to be a remedy to arrest the unruly behaviour among students. Many homes still use corporal punishment as a mode of discipline in Botswana. The maxim, ‘ if one spare[ s] the rod one would spoil the child’ is widely used in the society to encourage corporal punishment. The notion of children’s rights is further looked at as a notion that encourages lawlessness.

The other maxim, “It takes a whole village to bring up a child” and the Setswana proverb, “se tshwarwa ke ntša pedi ga go thata” loosely translated as the task is easy when there is people collaboration describe not only communal care, they also give any parent a permission to punish the young ones who misbehave. Parents have the right to discipline children who misbehave. The raising of children further takes collaboration between schools and parents. Corporal punishment, whether exercised at home, school or traditional legal system is believed to have an intention of bringing out good discipline in a form of harm.

In traditional Setswana legal system, children are severely punished through canning either across their bottoms or their backs, so that they would never repeat the same mistake. Sometimes corporal punishment is too severe to a point of abuse under this system and repeated acts of corporal punishment may worsen the character of children in the future. Some parents who administer corporal punishment are not always in control of themselves when they do so. Serious injuries may result from corporal punishment. UNICEF reports that “on average, three in four children between the ages of 2 and 14 were subjected to some kind of violent discipline, more often psychological than physical” ( 2010: p. xv). A significant many violent criminals and murderers has experienced excessive corporal punishment as children. This shows that the cycle of gender violence could be cut significantly through addressing corporal punishment. It is critically essential that ways to interrupt the cycle of GBV are developed in order to help boys who need help at a young age to develop non- violent conflict management skills. That might help with decreasing GBV incidents in Botswana.

Children who experience corporal punishment may think that it is an approved practice. The rate of approval of corporal punishment is three times more on those who had experienced it as children than those who had never experienced it. According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other human rights instruments, all nations have an obligation to enact legislation to prohibit corporal punishment in all settings, including the home ( The Monitor, 2012).

However, in Botswana, corporal punishment of children is lawful in all levels and settings of life. Corporal punishment is to be administered to children at home, alternative care setting, day care, schools, penal institutions and sentence for crime. It has always been reported that violence against children happens at their homes, schools, in the streets, and in custody institutions. This violence manifests in a form of corporal punishment where children are physically abused and further sexually harassed, neglected and emotionally abused.

Meanwhile, Botswana claims that it provides protection to victims of violence and women’s rights but on the ground women in Botswana remain the most vulnerable in the charts of the world. This shows a failure on the government of Botswana; the country has failed to engage the community and educate them on the prevention of gender based violence. GBV affects children and women because of their lack of power and interventions in all levels and legal systems.

Children remain more vulnerable because in Botswana, to beat a child has been culturally endorsed as it is believed that it facilitates proper upbringing of that child. Parents, teachers and the customary legal system are entitled to discipline children. The dual legal system operating in Botswana which is customary legal system, and the Constitution, which is based on a system inherited from the former colonial state has sanctioned corporal punishment. Corporal punishment therefore is a justifiable act as long as the discipliner is holding some kind of authority and power.

It has been established that in Botswana genderbased violence against women and children is prevalent and it mainly occurs because men would be acting out their dominance through acts of violence. This dominance is being reinforced by patriarchal beliefs and practices. Patriarchal family structures elsewhere and in Africa emphasize on the unequal power sharing by giving the authority and dominance of men in the family. The system has further sanctioned the use of violence to discipline women and children. Studies are quite consistent in maintaining that boys are likely to be more physically punished than girls ( Clément et al., 2000; Mahoney et al., 2000). If more boys had experienced corporal punishment, more boys are likely to consider physical punishment as an approved normal thing.

Actions perpetuated against women and children therefore are connected with power, culture and discipline. It should be observed that there are gender and age dimensions to each of these types of abuses. Gender and age are used to control and abuse. The most shared gender- based form of violence against women and children is sexual abuse and exploitation. This type of violence has been linked with male sexual entitlement of women and adolescents’ bodies. Women and girls may be conditioned to think that such violent act is normal hence become silent when violated against. Reconstructing those harmful gender based norms is essential as a preventative measure against gender based violence. That could be done when the community is engaged in the critical analysis of gender norms that influence power imbalances.

An issue of discipline has also been brought up as an intention behind violence. Some men argue that they beat their wives because there is need to discipline them. Women could basically be beaten up for burning the food, arguing with the husband and going out of their home without telling their spouses or partners. Women who experience abuse are also more likely to discipline their children harshly. The traditional norm that sanctions the acceptability of wife- beating and male control are problematic as they contribute to high number of cases of violence against women and children. Similarly, these laws may further influence children’s perpetration and victimisation of violence against other children and in later life as parents ( WHO. 2009). Children who suffered corporal punishment are more likely to abuse their own children as parents. Similarly, those who observed parental violence as children have a tendency to abuse their partners and children later in life.

Rev. Dr. Tshenolo Jennifer Madigele, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Botswana