FRANCISTOWN: President of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), Mzwandile Makwayiba has urged relevant stakeholders in the country to come up with programmes to empower women as a way of curbing gender-based violence (GBV).

He was addressing delegates at the Botswana Land Boards & Local Authorities & Health Workers Union (BLLAHWU) triennial congress which was held here at Adansonia Hotel recently.

Makwayiba said GBV is a direct consequence of unemployment and poverty, therefore, he advised that there is need to come up with clear and deliberate programmes that will empower women to have the capacity to say ‘No’ to violence.

“If you want to fight GBV, don’t copy what is done in South Africa whereby they commemorate 16 days of activism against GBV as a way of addressing the matter,” he said.

Makwayiba also noted that BLLAHWU is a class struggle whose success can be measured by dealing with gender struggles.

He explained that gender itself and its struggle is a class question as it doesn’t happen to those who are rich and who have means of production. The women in the rich class are very much capable of saying ‘No’ to violence, he added.

“We must build women’s capacity so that they are in control of their lives. Women who can tell their husbands that they will not have five children but rather one or two.”

He elaborated that women must have power to make decisions and as trade unionists if they are able to capacitate them they will be able to end the abuse of women in the world. He said trade unions should remain Marxist.

Makwayiba said in Marxism they speak about issues of realism hence the gender struggle and the responsibility of the union in this particular arm of a struggle becomes relevant.

“About 99% of the congress delegation is women. Therefore, this is a good platform for communists and trade unionists to utilise and make sure they minimise and end GBV in this country,” said WTFU president.

Meanwhile, in May this year director of Gender and Child Protection under Botswana Police Service, Senior Assistant Commissioner Goitseone Ngono told Mmegi that they continue to record disturbing cases in which women and children are abused and in some instances murdered.

Ngono further revealed that in 2021 they recorded 24,432 GBV cases of which 35 aged below five years and 24,344 victims aged above 18 years.

Breaking down the statistics, she added that 2,111 rape cases were recorded, 273 murder cases opened, 16,607 assault common and 970 cases of threat to kill registered.

It was reported that females in Botswana continue to bear the brunt of GBV.

During his recent State of the Nation Address, President Mokgweetsi Masisi pointed out that GBV remains a challenge in Botswana.

He lamented that it was disheartening that while the country has tried several interventions to combat GBV, more reports of horrendous acts of abuse continue to emerge.

Masisi also said children and women are demeaned, bullied, defiled, raped and murdered compounded by disturbing trends of cyber bullying and rising incidents of missing persons.