How Masisi will tackle crime challenges
For years, gender-based violence (GBV) has been the country’s nightmare and little seems to be changing. Therefore, President Mokgweetsi Masisi is expected to address the scourge in Monday’s sixth State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Ever since he was sworn into office, Masisi’s reign has been characterised by a steep rise in GBV cases, rape, murder, defilement and threat-to-kill, to mention but a few. Crimes of passion remain a concern as women continue to lose their lives at the hands of their male lovers. For years, men have been exhibiting a frightening lack of anger management with their insecurities towards their partners identified as the root cause.
With all the campaigns against GBV, one would have thought it would be better but despite these efforts, it seems like all the campaigns and teachings are just in vain because everyday cases relating to GBV are reported. Ending violence against women and girls remains a hurdle as the duo continues to experience physical or sexual violence, mostly perpetrated by intimate partners.
In last year’s SONA address, Masisi revealed that social ills, particularly tensions in gender relations in the society, were worrisome and called for all to introspect whether these social ills are consistent with cultural values. “Our values and norms as a society, in the treatment of girls and women in relation to boys and men, right from the family unit, have been eroded. Keletso ya rona ke go nna chaba e e boitshwaro jo bontle, le go tshidisanya sentle, go sa kgathalesege gore o motho wa letso le fe, bong bo fe, tumelo e fe kgotsa seemo se fe.
It is disheartening that while we have tried various interventions to combat GBV, there continue to be more reports of horrendous acts of abuse,” Masisi said.
Then, Masisi stated that children and women are bullied, defiled, raped and murdered hence the need to ensure that the perpetrators of violent and intrusive crimes, fully account for their heinous acts.
“It is imperative that all of us revive the strong family and community structures and values that produce and nurture responsible citizens who regard and treat others with dignity. To this end, government continues to strengthen the criminal justice system including stiffening penalties and rehabilitation of offenders to stem the tide of social ills. But we need to do more and the family needs to do even more,” he said.
These human rights violations have short-term and long-term physical, sexual, and mental consequences for women and girls that can be devastating, including death. The violations also have the possibility of negatively affecting women’s general well-being and prevent them from fully participating in society.
Officiating at the launch of this year’s 60 days of action on crime and road safety campaign in Kanye on Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner of Police responsible for police operations, Solomon Mantswe, revealed that GBV-related crimes being murder, rape, defilement of persons under the age of 18, threat-to-kill recorded 18.8% cumulative increase.
Demonstrated by escalating murder cases, Batswana seem to be exhibiting a frightening lack of control. Through their investigations, the police have since established that society is angry as people no longer value the sanctity of human life choosing to kill whenever it suits them. The upsurge in fights that occur as a result of petty issues which can easily be resolved also remains a concern, offences which are mostly perpetrated by men against their fellow men over arguments during beer drinking, fights over money and arguments of partners in love relationships. GBV which usually leads to murder continues to spiral out of control despite the intervention of law mechanisms in the form of the death penalty.
As women continue living in the deepest fear of rapists who continue to violate them as they please, Masisi is also expected to address this matter in the upcoming SONA. The majority of women are raped by known people like casual friends, ex-boyfriends or people they had spent the night entertaining themselves drinking alcohol together at entertainment places.