Abuse and Violence against women and children in society

Abuse and Violence against women and children in societyAbuse cases and killings by partners is on the increase. It is common for the so called lovers to kill each other in the name of love. This is especially happening among the young lovers or young couples. There is no empirical evidence so far to show the causes and the magnitude of the problem. What we know is that this is another cause of death third to AIDS and the road carnage in Botswana.

Violence against women and children can not be justified or acceptable in society.
It is indeed a crime. Violence:
• is life threatening.
• has no place in the family or in the community.
• is learned behavior. It can, therefore, be changed.
• is a choice.
• is a power issue.
• is never justified. No behavior of any woman justifies or provokes violence.
• is never the responsibility of the woman being abused. Responsibility for violence rests with the batterer.
• Does not stem from "loss of control". Control is what the batterer wants.
• Occurs in all classes, races, and cultural groups. The issue of violence is complex. We need to understand the social, personal, economic, political, cultural, and religious dimensions of violence in a multicultural context.

In the recent past in South Africa, Zimbabwean immigrant women and children faced specific problems, such as:
• xenophobia
• immigration policy/laws
• language barriers
• service access/lack of availability
• lack of experience with social services
• distrust of the judicial system
• isolation
• low economic status.

The community has the right and the responsibility to get involved. The more that is known about violence, the more effective the community can be in intervening and preventing violence against women and children. This could bring violence to an end...