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 fiancé 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
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