Why hasn't the government fully tackled GBV?

Good morning! Let’s get into this!

I am wondering why, of all the times we face Gender Based Violence issues on social media, nothing gets done. However, that’s something I've long noticed about Botswana: in Botswana, you can see a problem that has been hurting people for years, yet nothing is being done about it.

You can leave the country, go overseas, and come back after 10 years, and find the same problem unsolved. That’s Botswana for you, some people keep saying, “It’s not the government’s problem because people still go back to their abusive partners, and that it’s people’s problems.

And to be honest, I get why they say that, but let’s be clear that the government isn’t clearly showing a plan forward. We see there are prayers, and that’s good, but we still need strategies or a way to really tackle this and then pray for the plans to work.

So now I asked ChatGPT if there are countries that have come up with solutions to tackle GBV. And yes, some countries did, so let’s check them out

There is no single fix for GBV—it’s a complex issue rooted in societal norms, legal systems, and institutional failures. However, several countries and initiatives demonstrate concrete, multisectoral strategies that have made measurable progress:

🇧🇷 1. Brazil – Lei Maria da Penha

A landmark 2006 law that:

• Introduced domestic violence courts and protective orders

• Increased penalties for offenders

• Led to a 10% drop in projected domestic homicides per research (open.unwomen.org, en.wikipedia.org)

This law also institutionalized 24-hour shelters and made prosecution independent of victim testimony, marking a major shift in response to domestic violence.

🇺🇸 2. United States – Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

Passed in 1994, VAWA transformed the legal and social response to GBV by:

• Requiring states to honor protection orders across jurisdictions

• Authorizing federal prosecution of certain offenses

• Funding crisis centers, training for police/judges, and hotlines
  It has been reauthorized multiple times and credited with shifting cultural attitudes and improving support and justice (time.com).

🇷🇼 3. Rwanda & Tanzania – One-Stop Centres & Gender Desks

Using GBV data to inform action, these countries established:

• “Isange” centers in all 44 Rwandan districts, embedded in hospitals—offering integrated medical, legal, psychological support and shelter (open.unwomen.org)

• Specialized Gender/Children’s Desks in Tanzanian police stations with data-driven resource allocation and faster legal response (open.unwomen.org)

🇸🇱 4. Sierra Leone – Integrated Legal Reforms + One-Stop Services + GBVIMS

After declaring rape a national emergency in 2019, Sierra Leone:

• Toughened sexual offense penalties and established fast-track courts

• Created seven one-stop centers and a national GBV hotline

• Launched GBVIMS+, the first nationwide GBV data management system in a non-crisis context (elibrary.imf.org)

🌍 5. Global & Community-Led Programs

• UN‑EU Spotlight Initiative: active in >25 countries, strengthening laws, survivors’ services, and data systems (en.wikipedia.org)

• Prevention+ / Sonke Gender Justice: Targets harmful norms by engaging men and boys across Indonesia, Pakistan, Rwanda, Lebanon, Uganda—reporting up to 40% less violence (genderjustice.org.za)

• Senegal’s Tostan: community-based education has led villages to abandon harmful practices and reduce intimate partner violence

✅ Key Lessons for Botswana

1. Strong legal frameworks & enforcement

   • Laws like Brazil’s and the US’s that empower courts and protection services, and ensure enforcement.

2. Integrated “One-Stop” services

   • Central hubs where survivors can access all forms of help quickly and safely.

3. Data-driven action

   • Routine data collection and analysis guide where resources are needed most, as seen in Rwanda and Sierra Leone.

4. Engaging men and communities

   • Working with men, community leaders, and families to transform harmful gender norms proves effective.

5. Funding & survivor support networks

   • Sustained investment in shelters, hotlines, crisis centers, and community education campaigns is critical.

🛡️ What Could Botswana Do?

🎯 Final Thoughts

No country has eradicated GBV, but coordinated, trauma-informed, multisectoral approaches combining legal change, data systems, survivor support, and cultural transformation work.

Botswana can learn from these global successes. By adapting laws, investing in survivor-centered services, scaling data collection, and engaging communities—especially men—the country can begin to break cycles of violence and provide meaningful protection for women.

I hope this issue gets a solution and implementation quickly; otherwise, we’re a few months away from another GBV murder.