Gender-Based Violence in Botswana

• Two-thirds (67%) of women in Botswana report experiencing some form of gender violence in their lifetime
• 44% of men admit to perpetrating violence against women
• Groups vulnerable to GBV are women and girls with disabilities, adolescent girls, women with HIV/AIDS, and orphans/ other vulnerable children

Research and Evidence on GBV

• The most comprehensive GBV assessment came from the GBV Indicators Research project in Botswana in 2012
• The study surveyed 639 women and 590 men nationwide
• Botswana lacks recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) data
• The last DHS survey was in 1988, and the last MICS was in 2000, neither included questions on violence
• Forthcoming Violence Against Children Surveys (VACS) will provide data on violence against males and females aged 13-24

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

• 62% report experiencing IPV in their lifetime
• 29% report experiencing IPV in the 12 months before the survey
• 48% of men admitted to perpetrating IPV
• The most prevalent form of IPV experienced by women is emotional violence (45%), followed by physical (35%), economic (29%) and sexual (15%)
• Women aged 45+ experienced lower IPV levels (54%) than younger women aged 18-29 (66%) and 30-44 (66%)
• 24% of women experienced abuse during pregnancy
• IPV is linked to intergenerational abuse cycles, with 56% of women and 26% of men reporting witnessing their mothers being abused
• There are links between alcohol use and male perpetration of IPV
• 19% of men who drank alcohol in the previous 12 months reported perpetrating IPV, compared to 4% of men who did not drink alcohol

Non-Partner Sexual Violence

• 11% reported experiencing non-partner rape
• Only 1 in 9 women reported rape to the police
• Out of 662 sexual offense court cases in 2016, only 172 (26%) led to a sentence, 44% were withdrawn, and 20% were acquitted/discharged
• Only 1 in 7 women seek medical attention
• 15% of women who were raped in their lifetime attempted suicide
• 11% of men reported perpetrating rape/attempted rape, with over half (53%) doing so more than once

Child Sexual Abuse

• 25% of women and 21% of men reported experiencing sexual abuse as children (before age 18)
• Childline Botswana notes that child sexual exploitation is "rampant", especially in northern regions
• Child sexual abuse is associated with the experience and perpetration of IPV and non-partner rape
• 66% of male perpetrators reported being abused as children (24% experienced sexual abuse)

Sexual Harassment

• ~23% report experiencing sexual harassment in public spaces, including workplaces (18%) and schools (9%)
• Though prohibited in the workplace (Section 38), sexual harassment is widespread but often unreported due to fear of victimisation and difficulties providing proof
• Street harassment is a growing concern, which has prompted a nationwide campaign of 'miniskirt protest marches'
• There are increasing reports of cyber harassment and abuse of women and girls, especially online abuse of women campaigners and activists

Trafficking

• Botswana is a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking; the Anti-Human Trafficking Act was enacted in 2014
• Groups most vulnerable to trafficking include unemployed women, the rural poor, agricultural workers, and children
• Some girls and women are sex trafficked internally/transported from neighboring countries

Harmful Traditional Practices

• Forced marriage in the form of traditional arranged marriages through betrothal (peeletso) is no longer permissible
• Customary law allows young girls to marry with parental permission
• Child marriage is most common among the Zezuru, Basarwa, and parts of the Kgalagadi communities in the North West region
• FGM is not widely practiced
• There have been reports of witchcraft accusations (and associated violence) against women and children
• There is little evidence of property grabbing, wife inheritance/other harmful practices against widows

Social Norms

• Deeply rooted social and cultural norms on gender inequity perpetuate GBV
• These include a man’s right to beat his partner if she disobeys, and a woman’s duty to have sex with her spouse/partner even if she does not want to
• Gender inequitable norms are associated with increased perpetration of rape, intergenerational sex (10 years+ difference) and sexual risk practices
• Recent gender-transformative programming includes Men in the Kitchen and MenCare

Reporting

• GBV is vastly underreported; only 1 in 9 women who were raped reported it to the police
• Women’s experiences of rape were 24 times higher than the number of cases reported to the police in the previous year
• Successful conviction rates were less than 1% of GBV experienced

Legal and Policy Context

• The Domestic Violence Act was passed in 2008, defining domestic violence as "any controlling or abusive behaviour that harms the health or safety of the applicant"
• Legislation is silent on sexual violence within marriage and/or cohabiting relations under customary law
• The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women has raised concerns about Botswana’s dual legal system and that some customary laws discriminate against women
• National GBV Strategy 2015-2020 is a multisectoral approach to preventing and responding to GBV

Economic Impact of GBV

• International research show GBV imposes heavy economic costs on individuals, their families, businesses and society
• There have been no published studies on the scale of GBV-related losses to the economy in Botswana, although it is likely to be significant
• The cost of GBV could amount to around 2% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
• Societal costs include direct costs of the health system, counseling, the justice system, social services/costs to businesses

Links With HIV and Aids

• GBV and HIV/AIDS are both major public health concerns in Botswana
• Rates of HIV are higher among women who experience physical partner violence (26%) and sexual partner violence (20%) than the national average (17%)
• Men who are violent towards their partners are more likely to display attitudes and behaviors that increase women’s risk of HIV

Link to Teenage Pregnancies

• There has been a gradual decline in teenage pregnancy over the last fifty years, and the adolescent fertility rate is now estimated at 30 births per 1000 women aged 15-19 years
• Harmful impacts of GBV on adolescent reproductive health: teenage pregnancies as a result of rape/sexual violence, rapid repeat pregnancies, and sexually transmitted infections for girls with abusive partners.

Impact of Development Projects

• Improving reporting and referral: Increased collaboration between providers, more supportive care and modest improvements in community acceptability
• School-based prevention programming: the ‘No Sugar’ program encourages young people to safely date age-mates instead of sexually exploitive and riskier older partners
• Combining GBV and HIV/AIDS programming: $4.8 million in funding as part of the USAID-funded DREAMS program aims to reduce rates of HIV among adolescent girls and young women