16 Mar 2025

Batawana have hailed First Lady, Ms Kaone Boko’s commitment to advance the rights and opportunities of women and girls.
“We live in fear and murder incidents in our village are worrying. This is a call for all to stand together and end abuse that has caused devastation to women and children,” said Batawana deputy chief, Kgosi Kealetile Moremi during a women engagement session with the First Lady, Thursday at main kgotla in Maun.
She called for an intensified public awareness and education on issues of gender-based violence (GBV) while appreciating Ms Boko’s visit, which targeted women and girls saying, her voice would impact positively on the lives of women and girls.
Kgosi Moremi recognised Women Against Rape (WAR) commendable job in the fight against GBV albeit with challenges as budget constraints that hindered them to do more and achieve their mission.
She hoped that Ms Boko would look into the matter and see how best to assist organisations that promoted gender equality.
Senior Gender Officer, Mr Felix Mapeu concurred that the district continued to face challenges in achieving true gender equality since women and girls, particularly in rural communities, grappled with limited access to education, economic opportunities and leadership roles.
Mr Mapeu said though there might be an improvement particularly in enrollment and retention in schools, many young girls encountered hurdles such as early marriages, teenage pregnancies, and financial constraints that limited their ability to complete school.
“We must continue to advocate for policies that support the girl-child’s education, mentorship programmes and skills training, to ensure that young women achieve their full potential.”
He also highlighted that women especially in the rural communities engaged in the informal sector, with limited access to financial support and markets hence appealed for that cohort to be empowered through micro-finance programmes, business development initiatives and skills training.
Mr Mapeu said the district was not spared from GBV  and said strengthening support services for survivors, improving law enforcement responses and engaging men and boys in gender equality efforts were key steps toward reducing GBV in the district.
First Lady Kaone told the gathering that she was alive to the challenges faced by women and girls hence her visits to various districts, to come up with interventions and solutions that would address such.
She agreed that GBV was a serious concern and said, “we have a violent nation because women live in fear and can not express their feelings. We have made efforts to engage stakeholders including men and perpetrators at prisons to share strategies on how we can end the scourge.”
Ms Boko appreciated that former first lady, Ms Neo Masisi laid a solid foundation in advocating for addressing GBV by focusing on empowering girls and young women to reduce their vulnerability.
She prayed that men would see the light and stop abuse but also appealed to parents, to teach boys to cry when hurt and speak out as that could help them heal and calm their feelings.
Ms Boko expressed concern that some parents exploited their daughters for economic gain particularly those faced with economic hardship. ENDS