Mohloai Mpesi
The Minister of Gender and Youth, Sport and Recreation Likeleli Tampane, said as a ministry they have resorted to erect the structure of the grand Youth Centre before the end of this year.
Following a streak of perpetual gender-based violence incidences especially involving young girls, Tampane told this publication that they are in talks with the Korean government to build the Youth Centre where the Youth Council will address youth issues.
Tamapane who occupied the ministerial office last year, said she has learned of the swelling rape cases and the abuse of girls and women where perpetrators are both strangers as well as close relatives.
She said many young girls are propelled to sleep with elderly men because of lack of money, fuelled by peer pressure and unemployment, dreading that the situation is likely to exacerbate during these times of Covid-19 second lockdown which motivated by the second wave of the pandemic.
“There is a challenge of Gender Based Violence that still continues during lockdown. Yesterday there was a 29 year-old woman who tried to commit suicide because of abuse from her husband,†she said.
“So we have started a campaign to talk about these issues on different radio stations and on the Television to make people aware of Gender Based Violence that continues to rise,†she said alluding that last year’s lockdown recorded many death cases brought upon by Gender Based Violence
“Last year during lockdown I attended many funerals of assaulted women and children and this remains a problem. The death toll and rapes of young girls and women was on the rise last year during the lockdown, it is continuing but not as much as before. At the beginning of lockdown this year there were cases of domestic violence that we heard of.
“However, it seems this year’s situation is not bad as last year’s,†she said.
Tampane said the more people talk about the prevailing predicament, people will start to understand it.
“We need to be vocal about this predicament. The campaign that we started will address the issues compelling or leading to gender based violence, which is not only about murder but every other form of abuse including assault and rape.
“We investigated the reason behind the Gender Based Violence and learned that many young girls love money so much that they end up acceding to the temptation to sleep with older men in exchange for money, a feat which exposes them to sexual assaults since sometimes the elderly men disregard their consent.
“During our investigations we also tried to see if the youths will partake in the campaign by talking on the radio and television but those we interviewed said they were afraid to speak-out in the media, but instead they want a Youth Centre wherein they will freely express themselves and air their challenges amongst their peers.
“We have to sensitise the youths because some of the key challenges they shared during the study included unemployment, peer pressure and having no money as well as any other form of pleasure while sitting at home hence their minds are idle.
“So we have managed to talk to the government of Korea to build a Youths Centre for us. Another task is to interview their (Youths) parents about the behaviour of children so that we are able to salvage the problems that lead to abuse, so that they also stand for themselves and stop asking for money from the elderly people who rape them,†she said. =functio
