13 Apr 2025

Vice President has urged youth to rise and lead in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV).

Speaking at the launch of Tshepo le Bontle Youth Against Gender-Based Violence nation wide tour, Mr Ndaba Gaolathe said GBV fight needed all stakeholders.

“Young people, you have voices that shake the silence, minds that can build empires and hearts that can heal a nation,” he said.

“We know that gender-based violence is not just a statistic but a scar on the soul of a nation. And healing demands that we move as one, no more silos, no more silence and no more standing still,” Mr Gaolathe added.

He further said the Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs was established in part to ensure that the gender portfolio received the attention it deserved, following the national outcry sparked by persistent gender inequalities that prevailed in society hindering inclusive socio-economic development and the full enjoyment of human rights.

He further applauded Tshepo le Bontle Youth Against Gender-Based Violence initiative for their bold and compassionate steps in addressing the GBV issue.

The youth organisation will undertake a six-month national tour aimed at reaching nearly 200 schools across the country.

“This is no ordinary outreach. It is a pilgrimage of hope, a march of purpose, reaching not just classrooms, but living rooms, through house-to-house visits and community-rooted workshops, especially in our rural heartlands. You remind us that true leadership does not always wear a title, sometimes, it wears sneakers dusted with the soil of village roads and hearts lit with the fire of purpose,” Mr Gaolathe said.

Ms Ketlhalefile Kgosietsile, who is the founder of the initiative and also Miss Epic Botswana, said initially their focus was on learners only, but had now extended it to all people dealing and affected by GBV.

She said three pillars of Education, Encouragement and Empowerment drove the initiative. Ends