Youth police officers continue to be empowered in dealing with and handling cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV). Yesterday (29/11/24) saw the opening of the two-day Youth Dialogue Workshop for these officers at Special Support Group (SSG). The purpose of the dialogue was to award the officers an opportunity to converse and exchange ideas on the best ways to tackle GBV.
Giving a Keynote address at the Workshop, the Director of Operations, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr Christopher Mbulawa, called participants to acknowledge that GBV knew no boundaries and could affect anyone including them.
He emphasised the need for conversations like this, noting that GBV is a social ill that needs open and transparent discussions. Mr Mbulawa also underscored the customs and traditions of the society that led to the stigmatization of GBV victims reminding officers that it was their duty to ensure that everybodyโs human rights are observed. He urged attendants to seek help when they find themselves involved in GBV.
The Director reiterated that drug and substance abuse also had a significant impact on the youth contributing to an increased risk of GBV. He pointed out that substance use can impair judgment, increase aggression and suppress behaviour, which in turn could make one more prone to both perpetrating and experiencing GBV as a victim.
For his part, the Deputy Director of the Gender and Child Protection Branch, Mr Gontlafetse Segolodi, said the goal of the workshop was to raise awareness about the impact of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and to encourage youth police officers to address GBV, drug and substance abuse effectively within the workplace. Additionally, he highlighted that the dialogue sought to empower youth police officers to freely speak about their personal experiences on GBV, mental health, and substance abuse, giving attendants an understanding of how these issues were interconnected, ultimately breaking the cycle.
The dialogue, which formed part of the organisation’s activity plan for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, is attended by police officers from Gaborone under the theme: ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ-๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐, ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ
