The Afro Barometer reports of 2022 studies found that 53 per cent of Basotho said violence against women is “somewhat common” while 28 per cent found it a “very common” occurrence within their communities.
In Lesotho, it is reported that 86 percent of women endure the bitterness that comes with GBV. The 2024 Studies by LDHS uncovered that 36 percent of women in Lesotho have experienced violence committed by their recent intimate partner.
This week, the Vodacom Women Network Forum held an event in remembrance of the late Rethabile Mofolo, who died five years ago at the hands of her husband. The event was not only meant to cherish Mofolo but also to extend consolation and support to other GBV survivors.
A Lesotho Mounted Police Services (LMPS) representative assured women at the event that even if the victims may feel like at some point they are not given a just reception by the law, they should be courageous enough to seek help from other members of the police until justice is served
The memorial hosted the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Amanda Mukwashi, who detailed in her remarks that the importance of recalling that there are people behind the statistics of GBV year in, year out.
“What happens to another woman happens to me. If she is naked, then I am naked” she uttered.
Mukwashi added that to make it easier to eliminate chances of GBV occurring, the new culture could be shifted by engaging in talks about GBV regularly.
“It does not matter what kind of conversations or setting we are in, we should regularly speak of GBV. We should also teach a boy child about how to best care for a woman with dignity and respect they deserves.”
Mohale Ralebitso, Vodacom Lesotho CEO, emphasised the importance of having men as partners in the fight against GBV.
“As men, we have to be on the front line fighting so that GBV is ended, whether the perpetrators of these tragic acts are our friends or not, we have to report in an instant and have those men handed over to the law.”
“There is no plausible explanation that could define why we still live in a world that has GBV. We should all come in collective to eradicate it,” Mohale reiterated.
The event encompassed some of the GBV survivors who shared their tales, which have impacted their lives, to get vocal on the topic.
