01 Apr 2025

Batswana desire quality prosecution that will see perpetrators of gender-based violence (GBV) brought to book, says Police Commissioner, Ms Dinah Marathe.

Therefore, Ms Marathe said as the first point of contact in the criminal justice system its responsibility of the police to perform investigative functions, entailing receiving criminal reports, collection of evidence, making arrests and submitting cases for prosecution, or even prosecuting at times.

“It is for this reason that police officers need to be continuously capacitated in the effective delivery of this function. We therefore value this training,” she said during the official opening of a three-day training for prosecutors and law enforcement officers on management of GBV, organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime yesterday.

Ms Marathe said the police recognised the sensitivity surrounding GBV and remained committed to maintaining the highest level of confidentiality in handling such cases by creating victim friendly spaces and facilitation of virtual courts.

“We believe this will go a long way in reducing re-traumatisation and re-victimisation of victims,” she said, adding that Botswana police acknowledged that GBV as a societal ill called for a multi-sectoral approach, hence their collaboration with various stakeholders and agencies dealing with human rights to address the challenge.

Public Prosecutions director, Ms Nomsa Moatswi said GBV cases continued to increase, hence the most effective and efficient ways of fighting the scourge should be explored.

“As we deal with GBV, it is important for us as investigators and prosecutors to know how best to deal with victims of GBV and to know what mechanisms to put in place in order to manage this scourge,” she said.

Ms Moatswi said her office received cases of various offences that fall under the GBV framework for purposes of prosecution such as murder, grievous harm, threat to kill, rape, defilement and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, of which the majority offenders were male and majority of victims female. However, she said some victims withdrew cases after reporting and became uncooperative when asked to testify against the perpetrators.

She said once a case was registered in court, it could only be withdrawn with a written consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions, which she said was testament to the directorate’s commitment to prosecute cases until the end.

The UNODC National Programme officer, Dr Linda Naidoo said GBV was a societal issue across the African continent where women not only fought for their justice, but for their fundamental protection as well. This she said, made the role of prosecutors and investigators crucial in fighting GBV hence should be empowered. ENDS