Confronting Gender Inequality in Botswana Essay

Confronting Gender Inequality in Botswana - Essay ExampleMany of the political sciences Western-influenced programs have addressed, only when failed to root out, ancient customs that continue to challenge the countrys attempts to achieve equality. Customary inequality Gender disparity among married wo workforce Botswanas legal system operates in an awkward and impractical two-track paradigm, with cultural laws and customs existing alongside the nations common law. The mesh inherent in this system allows traditional sex activity inequality to exist in spite of anti-discriminatory laws passed by the government in recent years, written expressly to establish a gender-neutral social system. Botswanas traditional law remains particularly prejudicial to womens rights, perpetuating unequal power relations amidst men and women and strengthening stereotypes on (Name) 2 the role of women (Shadow Report to the CEDAW Committee, BOCONGO, 2009). The Domestic Violence Act was passed in 2008 but unequal power relations persist between men and women. This law criminalized acts of violence against women, but the unfathomed conflict between tribal/customary and common law has frustrated efforts to legislate equality between the sexes. In Botswana, even today, under customary law and common rural practices men are perceive to have the right to chastise their wives (Shadow Report to the CEDAW Committee, BOCONGO, 2009). At present, the law sets 18 as the minimum pairing age. But traditional practice honors no such age limit and considers women of all ages to be minors, extending no individual financial or property rights. Worse, married women who experience physical violence of some micturate have very few practical rights. A 2009 United Nations report indicated that three of every fivesome women in Botswana have experienced some kind of domestic violence. The minimum punishment for rape is 10 years in prison, but marital rape is not a criminal offense. There is no provisio n in the law requiring victims to be tested for rape and, as of 2010, there was only unrivaled domestic violence shelter in operation (Shadow Report to the CEDAW Committee, 2009). In a 2010 statement to the forty-fifth session of the Convention of the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Botswana Ambassador Boometswe Mokgothu reported that the country recognizes the importance of addressing the problem at its source. To that end, the government has embarked on a sensitization campaign aimed at the guardians of the countrys tribal customs, the Ntlo ya Dikgosi. sensitization of the Dikgosi is very important (Name) 3 to solicit their support, especially that some of the discriminatory and harmful practices that impact negatively on women and development are found in this area (Mokgothu, 5). Addressing the problem at the tribal aim stands out as a remarkably enlightened and progressive tactic aimed at effecting change at the source. It is essential that the government continue to establish long-term working partnerships with tribal leaders if true gender equality is to be maintained. Young, pregnant and uneducated Seeking educational equality for pregnant teens In Botswana, gestation period is one of the main reasons young women drop out of school.