Confronting Gender Inequality in Botswana - Essay Example

Breaking With the Past: Confronting Gender Inequality in Botswana Botswana has made remarkable progress in economic growth and the establishment of a Democratic, multi-party systemsince it achieved independence in 1966. Today, Botswana maintainsone of the world’s highest average economic growth rates (The World Factbook, CIA). But despite the country’s remarkably progressive initiatives in the areas of government and finance, Botswana still struggles with largely tribal-based legal and cultural traditions that continue to hamper attempts to rid the country of inequalities in gender, education and the availability of health services.Many of the government’s Western-influenced programs have addressed, but failed to root out, ancient customs that continue to challenge the country’s attempts to achieve equality. Customary inequality: Gender disparity among married women Botswana’s legal system operates in an awkward and impractical two-track paradigm, with cultural laws and customs existing alongside the nation’s common law. The conflict inherent in this system allows traditional gender inequality to exist in spite of anti-discriminatory laws passed by the government in recent years, written expressly to establish a gender-neutral social system. Botswana’s traditionallaw remains “particularly prejudicial to women’s rights, perpetuating unequal power relations between men and women and strengthening stereotypes on (Name) 2 the role of women” (Shadow Report to the CEDAW Committee, BOCONGO, 2009). The Domestic Violence Act was passed in 2008 but unequal power relations persist between men and women. This law criminalized acts of violence against women, but the fundamental conflict between tribal/customary and common law has frustrated efforts to legislate equality between the sexes.In Botswana, even today, “under customary law and common rural practices men are perceived to have the right to ‘chastise’ their wives” (Shadow Report to the CEDAW Committee, BOCONGO, 2009). At present, the law sets 18 as the minimum marriage age. But traditional practice honors no such age limit and considers women of all ages to be minors, extending no individual financial or property rights. Worse, married women who experience physical violence of some form have very few practical rights. A 2009 United Nations report indicated that three of every five women in Botswana have experienced some kind of domestic violence. The minimum punishment for rape is 10 years in prison, but marital rape is not a criminal offense. There is no provision in the law requiring victims to be tested for rape and, as of 2010,there was only one domestic violence shelter in operation(Shadow Report to the CEDAW Committee, 2009). In a 2010 statement to the 45th session of the Convention of the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Botswana Ambassador BoometsweMokgothu reported that the country recognizes the importance of addressing the problem at its source. To that end, the government has embarked on a “sensitization” campaign aimed at the guardians of the country’s tribal customs, the NtloyaDikgosi. “Sensitization of the Dikgosi is very important (Name) 3 to solicit their support, especially that some of the discriminatory and harmful practices that impact negatively on women and development are found in this area” (Mokgothu, 5). Addressing the problem at the tribal level stands out as a remarkably enlightened and progressive tactic aimed at effecting change at the source. It is essential that the government continue to establish long-term working partnerships with tribal leaders if true gender equality is to be maintained. Young, pregnant and uneducated: Seeking educational equality for pregnant teens In Botswana, pregnancy is one of the main reasons young women drop out of school. The rate of pregnancy among teens remains quite high nationally, with recent figures reaching nearly 17 percent.Some of the more alarming statistics show 54.3 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 17 have had sexual intercourse (Mahatelo, 9).Overall, Botswana has achieved remarkable success in establishing gender parity in the nation’s educational system. However, the high rate of teen pregnancy (and consequent dropouts)has threatened efforts to provide all women with equal educational opportunities. One shortcoming of the provision allowing pregnant girls to continue their schooling mandated that they had to stay out of school for at least 12 months and could not return to the same school. This often meant that young mothers were forced to leave their homes and either seek residence in another village or move to a large urban center, where they facedthe twin problems of poverty and the logistical difficulty of raising a child while attending school. Under these circumstances, many young girls elected not to return to school. As such, gender (Name) 4 inequality in education stands as a substantial constraint on Botswana’s social development and effortsto attain gender equality. In 1996, the Diphalana, or Basic Education for Pregnant Students project, was implemented to help women overcome these obstacles. A part of the pan-African Girls Education Initiative, Diphalanawas intended to help reduce initial and repeated pregnancies; ensure that pregnant young women complete their education; and aid the academic performance of young mothers (Chapman, Emert& Coyne, 5). The Botswana Ministry of Education provided further support for the initiative, extending a five-year waiver to girls taking part in the Diphalana project. This allowed pregnant girls to remain in school longer and return to school sooner after the birth of their child. Some girls were permitted to return to school sooner than the three-month period offered by the MOE waiver(Chapman, Emert& Coyne, 5). A 2004 report from Botswana’s national statistics office indicated that Botswana had achieved a high degree of parity in education, an accomplishment almost unprecedented among African nations. “Females tend to participate as much as males do at all levels. There is no significant difference of female participation at primary schools, secondary schools and at the University of Botswana” (Botswana MilleniumDevelopment Goals Report, 37). While the Diphalana project and the MOE waiver have helped to address a substantial and persistent problem, the prevalence of teenage pregnancy lies at the root of the issue. Until progress is made to slow the rate of teen pregnancy, ensuring that all young women receive an equal education will remain highly problematic. (Name) 5 Ancient taboos, modern epidemic: Gender inequity in HIV/AIDSprevention and treatment HIV/AIDS continues to be a staggering problem for Botswana, as it is for most other sub- Saharan African nations. Gender inequities play a prominent role in the rate of infection. Statistics have repeatedly shown that “women are more vulnerable to infection and that gender inequality is a significant reason for higher infection rates among women” (Preece, 1). There is a stark difference in the rate of incidence between men and women, a phenomenon rooted in sexual practices that help account for the country’s health problems and the gender-based disparity in health. HIV occurs at a shockingly high rate among young women in Botswana. In the under-14 age group, there are two HIV-positive girls for every boy with HIV. The difference increases to three HIV-infected women for every boy in the 15-29 age group (Heyman, 42).“Experts believe these data are explained by the Botswanan tendency for young girls to engage in sexual relationships with older men” (Heyman, 42). Traditionally, women have very little control over the nature of sexual relationships, even if they choose to take precautions. “They are not in a position to defend their position on safe sex and if their husband works away from home they are vulnerable to any infection he may have picked up from casual sex relations” (Preece, 2). Marital traditions also require that women produce multiple children, and a woman is expected to possess reliable capabilities in this area. “…there is strong pressure on women to demonstrate their reproductive abilities; expectations for several children within families are high and unprotected sex is the norm” (Stegling,33). Over the past decade, civic and government agencies have launched programs that (Name) 6 address the problem of HIV/AIDS through direct intervention and public perception campaigns. In 2000, the Botswana Network of People Living With AIDS established the “Mr. HIV Positive Living” pageant, a contest that emphasizes responsible living by crowning a role model; the “Miss Stigma-Free” pageant is intended to serve the same purpose by crowning a woman as a role model for destigmatizingpeople who live with AIDS. The Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS lobbies both nationally and internationally for legislation to protect the rights of those who are infected with HIV. At the grass roots level, the Botswana Christian AIDS Intervention Programmeprovides pre- and post-testing counseling to those who live with AIDS. And in May 2002, Botswana became the first African country to implement a program called Masa, which makes anti-retroviral therapy widely available to HIV-positive people (PHR).To date, Masa has reached 80 percent of those requiring HIV treatment. Masa’s success has helped stimulate participation in other programs, including one that seeks to prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to children, which has recorded nearly universal enrollment among Botswana’s mothers. The country’s long-term stability and economic prosperity depends greatly on the success of these and other programs. The key will be to what extent they are able to alterdeeply ingrained customs that hamper the country’s ability to achieve gender equality. Works Cited Chapman, David, Emert, Holly& Coyne, Botsalano. “Evaluation of the African Girls’ Education Initiative: Country Case Study: Botswana.”UNICEF.October 2003. “Gender Equality and Empowerment.”Botswana Millenium Development Goals Report. United Nations Development Group.2004. Heymann, Jody. Global Inequalities at Work: Work’s Impact on the Health of Individuals, Families and Societies.2003. New York: Oxford University Press. Mahatelo, Beauty. “District Multi-Sectorial AIDS Committee.”Kweneng East District Multi- Sectorial AIDS Committee.2005. Mokgothu, Boometswe. “Statement by His Excellency Ambassador BoometsweMokgothu, 45th Session of the CEDAW Committee for Consideration of the Combined Initial, Second and Third Periodic Reports on the Implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women.” CEDAW. January 2010. Preece, Julia. “Gender Power Relations and the HIV/AIDS Crisis in Botswana: Some Food for Thought.”Pula: Botswana Journal of African Studies. 15, 2. 2001. “Shadow Report to the CEDAW Committee.”Botswana Council of NGOs. October 2009. Stegling, Christine. “Current Challenges of HIV/AIDS in Botswana.”Working Paper 1. Gaborone: University of Botswana. 2000. “The World Factbook.”Central Intelligence Agency. 2011. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bc.html Read More