Africa-Press – Botswana. President Duma Boko has sparked fresh debate by linking the rise in gender-based violence to corporal punishment, warning that beating children normalizes violence in relationships.
President Duma Boko has linked the alarming rise in Gender-Based Violence (GBV) to the widespread use of corporal punishment on children, warning that physical discipline is laying the groundwork for future abusive behaviour in adult relationships.
Speaking during a kgotla meeting in Tutume on Friday, Boko argued that the practice of physically disciplining children conditions them to see violence as an acceptable way of resolving conflict, ultimately reinforcing a culture of abuse in intimate relationships.
Grooming children for violence
“Punishing children by beating them is not the solution; rather, it fuels GBV,” Boko warned. “Once these children grow up and have partners, violence becomes their first response in times of conflict. As parents, we are training children that violence is the answer to disagreements.”
He urged parents to adopt non-violent disciplinary approaches, cautioning that no meaningful reduction in GBV can be achieved while corporal punishment remains normalized within families and schools.
Harsh laws not a deterrent
Boko further challenged the notion that stricter penalties curb crime, arguing that history shows otherwise. He cited livestock rustling and capital punishment as examples where harsh laws have failed to eliminate the offenses.
“Tight punishments are not the solution to indiscipline. If they were, we would have long ended stock theft in Botswana, yet it continues despite severe penalties,” he noted.
Ongoing national debate
Boko’s comments come amid ongoing national debate over the use of corporal punishment. The controversy was reignited earlier this year after President Mokgweetsi Masisi attributed rising GBV cases to the normalization of violence through early childhood beatings. The government later moved to abolish corporal punishment in schools, a decision that sparked widespread public debate.
New rules on corporal punishment
While not entirely outlawed, the government has restricted corporal punishment to be used only as a last resort, under strict guidelines, and only by school heads. Minister of Child Welfare and Basic Education, Nono Kgafela Mokoka, explained that some cases of excessive corporal punishment have led to hospitalizations, prompting the urgent need for reform.
Divided public opinion
The move to limit corporal punishment has divided public opinion, with many traditionalists and parents defending it as a time-honoured disciplinary method rooted in culture. Others, however, support the government’s stance, arguing that it is time to shift toward more humane and effective forms of child discipline.
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