The Parliamentary Caucus on Women has been informed that many people are unknowingly committing cyber offences by sharing harmful online content.
Director of the Gender and Child Protection Branch in the Botswana Police Service, Senior Assistant Commissioner Goitseone Ngono, told a caucus panel discussion in Gaborone on Monday that some users ‘innocently share content, unaware that so doing is a criminal offence.’
The shared content, she said called for stronger prevention and public education on digital gender-based violence (GBV).
“There is a need to educate and create awareness for all members of the community to be well informed,” Ms Ngono said.
While noting that the police appreciated the opportunities offered by the digital space, she said some users “glorify and validate its negativity,” and urged that online platforms be used constructively “to mediate or create awareness that builds peace.”
Ms Ngono said offences registered by the police included child pornography, cyberstalking and defamation of character. Most victims of cybercrime were women and children, though men were also affected.
In 2024, Ms Ngono said that six per cent of GBV victims were males, indicating that men were also coming forward to report GBV. She noted that the police were finding ways to channel and prioritise resources to combat GBV and officers were trained to identify and address GBV, with documented standard operating procedures in place.
Ms Ngono highlighted that over 2 000 digitally facilitated GBV reports had been processed, most resulting from ignorance. She mentioned that many GBV cases were assault-related, like unlawful wounding. Out of 2 248 reported GBV offences in 2024, only 575 were confirmed to be GBV-related. Additionally, of the 337 murder cases registered that year, 172 were GBV-related.
The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Caucus for Women, Ms Helen Manyeneng, stated that digital violence against women and girls was destructive. She described digital violence as invisible, occurring in the digital space, and emphasised the need for collaborative efforts to combat it, as many lives and opportunities were lost due to such violence.
Ms Manyeneng pointed out that while digital spaces offered educational opportunities, perpetrators of GBV often exploit women seeking these opportunities. She warned that digital violence could affect individuals, even leading to suicide.
Therefore, she urged parents to monitor their children’s activities in the digital realm to mitigate potential harm.
Mr Arnold Somolekae, President of the Gaborone West Customary Court, attributed digital violence to unemployment and an unstable economy, noting that many young girls were lured into prostitution through digital platforms with false promises of employment. He called for interventions to hold these perpetrators accountable.
Renowned lawyer Mr Uyapo Ndadi stressed the need for the government to establish women’s shelters across the country for the safety of GBV victims.
While Ms Lydia Mafhoko-Ditsa of UN Women Botswana reported that a UN study indicated that 67 per cent of women experienced digital violence through miscommunication, while 73 per cent of journalists were also victims. She revealed that 300 million children had been affected by online exploitation in the past two years, noting that while these statistics were alarming, many cases go unreported.
Ms Mafhoko-Ditsa advocated for learning from the HIV/AIDS epidemic, where community capacity enhancement helped eliminate harmful cultural practices.
She also emphasised the importance of assessing the economic impact of GBV, pointing out that the European Union spends €329 billion annually to address it, raising the question of what this means for Botswana’s national economic situation.
“We need to analyse the cost implications of GBV,” she said.
