BOTSWANA: BNF Celebrates 16 Days of Activism

Date: 
Monday, November 22, 2010
Source: 
Mmegi Online
Countries: 
Africa
Southern Africa
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
Protection
Human Rights
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

The Botswana National Front (BNF) calls upon the nation to join hands in marking the beginning of the 16 Days Of Activism Against Women And Children Abuse. The International theme for this year is, "Structures of violence: Defining the intersection of Militarism and Violence against women" while the national one is, "Structures of violence: Accentuating the intersecting of HIV/AIDS and violence against Women and Children".

Currently, women and children in this country and around the world are still vulnerable and suffer abuse and exploitation at the hands of governments, other institutions and individuals.

The role that women play in our society has to be appreciated and it is our belief that children are the future. We therefore, call upon all citizens and different organisations to commit themselves to fighting all forms of abuse at home, the workplace and in our society.

The BNF as a progressive organisation and a voice of the downtrodden makes a pledge to all to mobilise and be at the forefront of the fight against all forms of abuse in this country and also champion the development of programmes aimed at enhancing the status and welfare of women and children without fail. As the vanguard of society we will be actively participating in processes and activities aimed towards the creation of a society that values women and children and guarding against any form of violence. We shall continue to campaign against any patriarchal tendencies that further oppress women and children. We condemn statements like "Basadi ba a tshwenya", "Basadi ba a tura", which have been attributed to the State president and leader of Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Lieutenant General, Ian Khama when responding to a question asked on when he intends to marry.

It is surprising that women organisations of this country have been quiet and not condemning such statements, which lower the status of women and reinforce prejudices against them. While we respect and agree that Khama has a personal right to decide on matters of matrimony in so far as they relate to him, we are in disagreement with him when his utterances regarding the matter denegrade to the status of women.

There is however consensus that quotas are necessary to the fight this malady. Beyond this point disagreement emerges. While the Liberal school of thought will argue that bringing down legal barriers is enough and will create an enabling environment for women to fully reach their aspirations, we at the BNF believe that quotas in representation at all levels should be accompanied by a corresponding advancement or development in job creation, eradication of women abuse, poverty and many other ills that continue to bedevil the womenfolk.

Head-counting on its own without real gains in the quality of ordinary women's lives is not sufficient.

Over the years women have been impoverished due to the patriarchal nature of our society. Neo-liberal policies have worsened their situation. Reduction in social spending by governments as a result of Washington consensus has worsened the positions of most women. Most of those in the informal, casual and atypical labour are women.

This situation affects them as labourers and care-givers in the home. Society continues to accrue huge benefits as a result of unpaid domestic, which is mostly undertaken by women. Therefore, labour is reproduced cheaply at the expense of women. The BDP Government cost recovery policy is seriously affecting women as they are the most vulnerable. It further weakens their position.

For working class women to do wage work and house work undermines their place in the work place. Some employers choose to employ men as they won't take time off to attend to their children. It is through the consistent and unwavering agitation on the part of the BNF that today women in Botswana (as the principal carers and child bearers) are compensated for taking time off to care for children in the form of maternity leave.

As we celebrate this achievement, which was championed by our party, which has always been the voice of the downtrodden, we need to look into other areas where women as centres of production and reproduction are not compensated. Our failure to reward them properly will not remove women from poverty and abuse, which they suffer from as a result of their weak economic position.

We have seen some people arguing for greater women representation just because they want to personally benefit from the resultant appointments. The notion that women are better guarantors of other women's rights is shallow. In fact, certain women are regrettably more patriarchal than some men.

Of course representation of women is necessary and should not be open to debate. It is more of a tool for reform in the current gender insensitive neo-liberal society. Properly instituted gender parity can provide solid bedrock from which substantive liberation of women can be advanced. We should have a gendered perspective, which is not blind to class and ethnicity. Together we can make life better for our women and children. Let us change today!