[HWPL] The Workshop about Gender-Based Violence and Human Rights was held in Botswana

 Webinar was held to educate Botswana youth on the current status of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Botswana, highlight the causes of GBV and to give them practical
ways to address this GBV in their communities. 

Introduction Webinar 

On 27 April 2022, a virtual workshop to enable intergenrational dialogue to break the long-standing cycle of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) was held in Botswana. 
The workshop is a joint initiative between an international peace NGO called Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), International Peace Youth Group (IPYG), and Volunteer Hub(VH), a social enterprise that contributes to alleviate socioeconomic and environmental challenges in Botswana. 

GBV is a serious issue that the international community is paying attention to amid reports of a surge in violence against many women and children globally during the pandemic. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), more than 67% of women in Botswana have experienced gender-based violence, which is over double the global average. And globally, an average of 1 in 3 women will experience physical or sexual abuse jeopardizing their sexual and reproductive health. 

Councillor Joyce Tumagole expressed her gratitude for such a youth dialogue platform on behalf of the Gaborone City Council Office of the Mayor "As many of us are already aware, GBV has unfortunately continued to worsen in recent years. Today, we are here, as the people of Botswana, to take charge to equip ourselves with tools that will allow us to address GBV in our communities by understanding how to approach it with peace as a goal."

Background Information 

GBV undermines a women's health, dignity, security, and autonomy. But according to the UNFPA, the bigger problem is that the seriousness of GBV is shrouded by a culture of silence and normalization. So this project is rated as an attempt to address these major problems such as a lack of education and information in Botswana.

Points of discussion 

During the main presentation on the Peace Education values, Abisola Shofoyeke from the IPYG said, "the probability of children who have witnessed their parents' violence becoming violent themselves as a parent to their children or to their partner is extremely high. In addition, those children don't know how to solve conflicts with anything but violence, and they tend to find themselves in relationships where they continue being victims of violence." 

Abisola Shofoyeke suggested the Peace Education of HWPL which teaches youth to know their duty, role, value, and influence within society to break the cycle of violence. "All creation lives in harmony. All people are connected to each other, and they influence one another. Depending on how they look at others, the influence they have may differs", he added. 

HWPL https://bit.ly/3A2wyRa