24 Nov 2024

Drug abuse by many children is an escape from the frustration coming with Gender Based Violence, says Dawn Bell Academy cheif exective officer, Ms Ndiko Muzila.

Speaking during Botswana Teachers Union (BTU) National Gender Forum on Friday, Ms Muzila said the outcomes of gender based violence (GBV) had not only robbed children their worth but also jeopardised their future because when one hurts a woman a child was hurt and the community would be hurt in the process.

She said women were often been labelled as weaker vessels and this mindset, she added had instilled fear in many women and in the process prevent them from striving for independence and greatness.

She added that fear of being alone had left many women trapped in loveless marriages and abusive relationships out of fear of judgement or being labelled failures.

 “This mindset must change today because when a woman loses her dignity she fails not herself but also the next generation and her child,” she noted.

The Botswana Teachers Union (BTU) Vice president for gender and human rights, Ms Gorata Bagopi said apart from its known and documented contribution to the educational landscape BTU had been vocal and provided advice of matters of gender and human rights in the country.

Ms Bagopi said the union’s voice had been loud and clear condemning the social ills bedeviling society in the form of gender based violence in which women and children were victims.

She said the deliberate and bold decision of the union to constitutionally create the office of Gender and Human Rights was a demonstration and commitment that the union was stepping in the right direction.

Ms Bagopi also said in an endeavour to harness strategic objective per the union constitution, they initiated the National Gender Forum (NGF) in 2023 as one of the activities to discuss array of issues on gender. 

She added that the last NGF focused on men, looking at their role in promoting gender equality and how gender equality could be achieved.

She noted that men must be educated on perspectives, experiences and challenges women faced.

 Ms Bagopi noted that if men were well-informed and understanding, then the society would experience a gender balance thereby reducing gender based violence.

The National Gender Forum was held under the theme; Mindset Change; Woman Unite to Restore Human Dignity. Ends