Wednesday 21 March 2018

STOP JUSTIFYING CRIME AND POINTING FINGERS AND ACT!



It is amazing how even when the government is planning on introducing cyber-crime so as people who use the internet to disrepute and bully other can be held accountable and we still have people recording others in compromising and unethical situations and sharing them on social media. This week the Rasesa sex tape has been viral and is continuing to be shared on social media without considering the reputation of the young woman involved, whose name I will not mention to avoid subjecting her to further discrimination and criticism. I wish I could not use the angle that I am about to use but it is impossible not to do so. I will play the gender card because women are a maginalised group as it is given the kind of cultured and Cristian country we are. I have a few questions which I’m sure most of you have as well. Why do men and the community feel comfortable mocking a women and laughing about it. It is not the first incident where a women is violated and abused in public and people laughing about it as if it’s harmless. Where is our country going honestly especially that the youth is in on many occasions the ones leading this unethical incidents?

The women in the sex tape is said to have been intoxicated even drugged as far as the allegations go, either way that does not justify why the sexual encounter was done publicly. The fact that that man saw it fit to do that with her with an audience raises questions of whether or not this had been planned because from the video one can only see the face of the young lady which has subjected her to so much criticism from the public. Others even blaming her for what happened to her and calling her names. What hurts the most is in the background there were voices of women not trying to help the fellow woman rather calling people to come and witness the incident, why do women feel comfortable in being accomplices when it comes to another women being violated or abused. We call ourselves a caring nation yet we can let this kind of behaviour happen and have fun at the expense of someone else’s dignity.
 
Last week Friday Rainbow Identity had a HiTee event where we were discussing maginalised women rights and issues, the topic of how women always gang up on other women with men to discredit or even abuse other women is shocking and appalling. We still failed to understand why this behaviour continues to grow yet we have organisations trying to sensitise women of such issues every day. Something that we don’t pay attention to is how women are always the ones blaming the victimised women when it comes to why the incident happened when it did. Women are always the first to discredit the women in question and my question is why. Why does it feel like women do not like each other so much, they would rather side with the male perpetrator than support the fellow woman? This has forever been the case as we see even in households women protecting the molesters and rapists of their children who happens to be their intimate partners. This needs to come to an end. When we hold the men accountable for gender based crimes so should we hold the women who encourage and justify this crimes accountable too. I think it is time we not only protect women from men who abuse them and take advantage of women but also to the women who not only encourage these men but turn a blind eye and then go on to justify this bad behaviour.

My other question is who is the person taking the video, he too should be punished as it is clear that he /she is the one who made the video go viral. It is high time Batswana realise that serious action can be taken to cyber bullying and any kind of bullying. This incident can ruin the poor young woman future even her self-esteem not to mention her dignity. Even though her fiancĂ© is with her all the step of the way and is adamant of continuing to marry her I believe that this woman needs the support of the nation and other women too whose videos or incidents did not make it to social media. Batswana needs to be sensitised to speak out and step forward when a crime is being committed or when someone’s human rights are violated.

The major concern I have about this video is how the two did not use protection in this epidemic of HIV/AIDS and Botswana trying to alleviate it to zero prevalence by 2020. If this continues to go on people not taking the right precautions for safer sex regardless of being under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

By Urbenia Unaswi Kgwarae

Tuesday 13 March 2018

DISCRIMINATION WITHIN THE LGBTI IS STILL DISCRIMINATION


It always amuses me of how much homophobia and transphobia there is in the LGBTI community. Everyone in the LGBTI wants nothing but to be accepted right, to have the right to express themselves however they want. Being part of the LGBTI does not make you feel you know what the next person in the LGBTI identifies as, you don’t even have the right to question their identity as you would hate yours to be. Why don’t we just love each there or rather accept each other without trying to analyse them. You can share what you know with others but that does not make you the expert of their life. Thinking you know best doesn’t validate that you do.

Everyone is entitled to tell you what they understand to identify as, we need to respect people’s identities and sexual orientation even preferred pronouns. We getting more than enough discrimination and stigmatization from the communities, even the world we live in so we do not need it among ourselves. I have come across lesbians who say they can’t stand gays because they are too much. Why should someone live their life to please you yet you live yours how you please. Amusing enough they are some lesbians who say they don’t like lesbian events or to hang out where other lesbians hang out yet they want to be legalized and accepted. LGBTI is a minority group which means we need as much visibility as we can get and to do that we need to attend LGBTI events so that the community sees that we exist hence reviewing of laws and the constitution to include us. I’m not saying step out of your closets but to be heard you need to speak out comrades. 

We all need to be activists for our rights, it’s high time we stop sitting back as others fight for our rights. They could use as much help as possible. Together we can but if some are lurking behind then we are going to encounter so many obstacles hence prolonging a positive change (acceptance) that we all want. 

Before I forget I have realized that people s preferred pronouns seem to conflict with what others think that person identifies as. Why do you think you know someone’s identity better than them? If I say I am a lesbian and you see my pronoun as Male instead of judging me and criticizing me why don’t you try to understand why I choose that. Sexuality and identity is a lifelong process we discover ourselves as we grow and we have a choice to identify how we feel. Stop analyzing people and live your life without infringing anyone’s rights. What makes you think people are confused have you ever stopped to ask yourself that “what if you are the confused one about that person”? If not then maybe you should.

Let’s stop in-house discrimination if at all we want to be accepted by the people around us. Let’s be activists and advocate for the whole LGBTI and make this world a better place for you and for me and the entire human race.

By Urbenia Unaswi Kgwarae

Tuesday 6 March 2018

SEXUAL REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS


Sexual and reproductive health and rights or SRHR is the concept of human rights applied to sexuality and reproduction. It is a combination of four fields that in some contexts are more or less distinct from each other, but less so or not at all in other contexts. These four fields are sexual health, sexual rights, reproductive health and reproductive rights. In the concept of SRHR, these four fields are treated as separate but inherently intertwined.

Distinctions between these four fields are not always made. Sexual health and reproductive health are sometimes treated as synonymous to each other, as are sexual rights and reproductive rights. In some cases, sexual rights are included in the term sexual health, or vice versa. Not only do different non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and governments use different terminologies, but different terminologies are often used within the same organization.

Some of the notable global NGOs that fight for sexual and reproductive health and rights include RIA (Rainbow Identity Association), ILGA (International Lesbian and Gay Alliance), WAS (World Association for Sexual Health - formerly known as World Association for Sexology), and International HIV/AIDS Alliance.

Sexual Health

The World Health Organization defines sexual health as: "Sexual health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality. It requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence."

Sexual Rights

Unlike the other three aspects of SRHR, the struggle for sexual rights include, and focus on, sexual pleasure and emotional sexual expression. One platform for this struggle is the WAS Declaration of Sexual Rights.

The Platform for Action from the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women established that human rights include the right of women freely and without coercion, violence or discrimination, to have control over and make decisions concerning their own sexuality, including their own sexual and reproductive health. This paragraph has been interpreted by some countries as the applicable definition of women’s sexual rights. The UN Commission on Human Rights has established that if women had more power, their ability to protect themselves against violence would be strengthened.

At the 14th World Congress of Sexology (Hong Kong, 1999), the WAS adopted the Declaration of Sexual Rights, which originally included 11 sexual rights. It was heavily revised and expanded in March 2014 by the WAS Advisory Council to include 16 sexual rights:

·         The right to equality and non-discrimination


·         The right to life, liberty and security of the person


·         The right to autonomy and bodily integrity


·         The right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment


·         The right to be free from all forms of violence and coercion


·         The right to privacy


·         The right to the highest attainable standard of health, including sexual health; with the possibility of pleasurable, satisfying, and safe sexual experiences


·         The right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its application

·         The right to information


·         The right to education and the right to comprehensive sexuality education


·         The right to enter, form, and dissolve marriage and similar types of relationships based on equality and full and free consent


·         The right to decide whether to have children, the number and spacing of children, and to have the information and the means to do so


·         The right to the freedom of thought, opinion, and expression


·         The right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly


·         The right to participation in public and political life


·         The right to access to justice, remedies, and redress

This Declaration influenced The Yogyakarta Principles (which were launched as a set of international principles relating to sexual orientation and gender identity on 26 March 2007), especially on the idea of each person's integrity, and right to sexual and reproductive health.
In 2015 the U.S. government said it would begin using the term "sexual rights" in discussions of human rights and global development.

Reproductive Health 

Within the framework of the World Health Organization's (WHO) definition of health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, reproductive health, or sexual health/hygiene, addresses the reproductive processes, functions and system at all stages of life. Reproductive health, therefore, implies that people are able to have a responsible, satisfying and safer sex life and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so. One interpretation of this implies that men and women ought to be informed of and to have access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of birth control; also access to appropriate health care services of sexual, reproductive medicine and implementation of health education programs to stress the importance of women to go safely through pregnancy and childbirth could provide couples with the best chance of having a healthy infant. On the other hand, individuals do face inequalities in reproductive health services. Inequalities vary based on socioeconomic status, education level, age, ethnicity, religion, and resources available in their environment. It is possible for example, that low income individuals lack the resources for appropriate health services and the knowledge to know what is appropriate for maintaining reproductive health.

Reproductive Rights 

Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows:

Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. They also include the right of all to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence.

By Urbenia Unaswi Kgwarae