Despite efforts by Botswanan authorities to combat gender-based violence, nearly 100 women were raped and 10 murdered during the late-December festive season, officials said Tuesday.
Botswana Police Service Commissioner Dinah Marathe told reporters that 10 of the 25 murders recorded between Dec. 19 and Jan. 2 were related to gender-based violence. During the same period, 93 rapes were reported.
Of all reported crimes, she said, 61% were related to gender-based violence.
"What comes out clear is that we are a nation with a culture of violence,” Marathe said.
The government introduced laws and policies last year meant to combat gender-based violence, including courts dedicated to dealing with such cases and the establishment of a sex offender registry.
Despite the measures, the violence persists.
Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs Lesego Chombo called for what she described as a preventative approach.
“In the way we behave with each other, in our personal and professional spaces, we all take this as a priority to ensure that we inculcate a culture that is conducive for mental health and a culture that is conducive for gender equality, so that we can curb this issue,” she said.
Local nonprofit Feminists Alliance Botswana argues the government has not done enough to stop the trend.
Alliance spokeswoman Thembiso Nhlekisana said women remain vulnerable.
“These figures represent a grim reminder of the pervasive violence that women and girls in our society continue to face,” she said. “This is not just a statistic; it is a reflection of lives lost, futures stolen and communities broken. These numbers underscore a profound failure in protecting women and girls from violence, despite repeated calls for systemic reforms and stronger preventive measures."
Nhlekisana called for swift prosecution and stiffer penalties for perpetrators of gender-based violence.
"We call on the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services and the Botswana Police Service to prioritize cases of gender-based violence, ensuring timely investigations, prosecutions and convictions for perpetrators," she said.
A 2023 report by the World Bank said more than 42% of women in east and southern Africa experience physical and sexual violence in their lifetime.