According to a UNAIDS report, 1 in 3 women experience physical and sexual violence often from an intimate partner in Lesotho, of which only 40% of victims report or seek help. The report states: “In others, formal reports of domestic violence have decreased as survivors find it harder to seek help and access support through the regular channels”.

In an article published in the Lesotho Times newspaper on the 21st of August 2021, a reporter, Limpho Sello, noted: “Patriarchal norms promoting masculinity and female submissiveness are fuelling Gender Based Violence (GBV) and violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Lesotho and other African countries.”

This observation is consistent with the experiences of Sesotho Media & Development (SM&D) working with films as a tool for engagement, information dissemination, exchange of experiences and platforms for inspiring affirmative action in relation to issues affecting vulnerable populations, including women and girls. GBV is a significant problem in the country and, to some extent, has become normalized and accepted in communities. It is important to note that the socio-cultural context of the country does not provide opportunities for youth and women with meaningful participation in decision making.

Decisions in the family are traditionally made by the father. The extremely patriarchal nature of the society gives men the right over sexual decisions, including family planning (how many children a women should have and which sexual reproductive health services she can or cannot access). At community level culture gives priority to males on issues of inheritance and economic resources. Youth and women are seldom invited to gatherings where community decisions are made. The reserved nature of the Basotho culture makes it taboo for any open conversations to be accommodated on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) issues in personal, intimate or public settings.

The cultural context accommodates gender norms which create space for human rights abuses. For example, because women are not expected to immediately say yes to a man’s sexual advances, she is culturally expected to be saying no, yet implying consent. This belief is the very premises on which most girls are sexually assaulted and raped. The country has made advances in regards to human rights through enactment of laws such as the Sexual Offences Act of 2003. However, there is still a long road ahead with regards to visibility and adherence to such laws in communities (both rural and urban communities).

Organizational Background

SM&D is a human rights organization that uses film to engage communities on sensitive topics/ issues affecting them. The organization has, for 20 years, specialized in the production of participatory documentary films to provoke discussions with communities. The facilitated film screenings are conducted in such a way that allows for meaningful participation of all community members, including vulnerable/ marginalized groups such as women and girls, to discuss issues affecting their lives. SM&D has used films to explore these themes and create an accommodating space where youth, women, their families and community members, including their community leaders, can talk openly on some of these issues.

Summary of the Needs Assessment

The GBV Needs Assessment was conducted:

1. To provide baseline information on GBV situation in communities where the Amplify Change project is being implemented ii. To provide data that can inform SM&D’s evidence-driven facilitated film screenings in these areas

This report is produced from an assessment conducted by the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer from SM&D with support from an external consultant. The data/information was collected from 3 of the 8 communities in the catchment area of the Amplify Change project. These communities are located in the districts of Maseru and Mafeteng. Respondents were mainly youth, including community leaders and service providers (in this case the Lesotho Mounted Police Services).

Findings

As noted in the country context, in every 3 women experience physical and sexual violence in in Lesotho. The survey, which sought to establish the prevalence in the targeted communities found out that 52% of female respondents have experienced GBV; most of whom were the direct victims. This findings correspond with the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale (GIZ) report, the Lesotho Stakeholder Network Analysis Report of 2018, which noted “52% of women experienced emotional intimate partner violence (IPV), i.e. insults, belittling and verbal abuse, in their lifetime. “

GBV seems much higher than what is reflected in the national surveys. When the survey by SM&D tried to establish if male respondents experience GBV, 54% of males said they have experienced GBV, but in most cases the victim is a female person they know. The findings therefore establish concrete evidence that GBV is a challenge in the communities in which the Amplify Change project is being implemented.

When respondents were asked to define what GBV is, all 70 of them accurately answered the questions. One respondent, a female aged 24, said: “GBV is violence mainly committed towards women and girls e.g. rape and harassment. Not forgetting men also experience gender based violence”. When asked if GBV is a crime all respondents agreed that GBV is a criminal activity and that they should report it. All respondents demonstrated knowledge of where to report, channels to follow, etc. However, when the survey was conducted by police stations serving them, the police noted that victims do report but most don’t.

This seems to tally with the findings by UNAIDS that only 40% of victims report. In the survey 41% of females and 17% of males said victims don’t report. Reasons for not reporting range from the shame, stigma from communities and threat from the perpetrators. They say even after reporting perpetrators return to the communities after being arrested for a short time. When the survey sought to establish if the respondents can recognize signs of abuse, all respondents were accurate. Common signs given include depression, isolation, physical marks on the body, as well as anger outbursts. .lt seems the challenge is not with the youth not knowing where to report, or not recognizing GBV is a crime. Instead, it is more on perspectives and attitude towards GBV. To demonstrate•this, when respondents were asked if there is a situation that justifies use of violence, 33% of males said there are situations that warrant use of violence in relationships. The main reason given by most to justify violence in such cases was when they consider a partner to be disrespectful. About 20% of females, who are the common victims, acknowledged that violence is justifiable in relationships.

When we tried establishing the root causes of GBV, the answers ranged from insecurities, early marriages, alcohol and substance abuse, misunderstandings, harmful gender norms, attitudes and practices, negative masculinity, lack of education, and lack of communication in relationships, to mention a few.

In the article written on the 21st of August 2021 titled “Lesotho Patriarchy Fueling GBV – Sayof’ one male participant who attended the Southern Africa Youth Forum on behalf of the Men Engage Network of Organizations, said: “Violence is seen as an acceptable way to enforce male control and domination. It is normalized. It is reinforced by the state and community leadership, in families, relationships and among individuals. Women are not expected to report violence; men are encouraged to be violent and control women to prove their manhood. Women link violence with love,” The survey results seem to substantiate the publication.

It is noteworthy to mention that the communities involved in this survey are located far away from service providers, including police and health services. One of the communities located in Mafeteng called Sebelekoane is over an hour’s drive to the police station. The roads to these communities are gravel and poorly maintained, which results in very limited transport options. On our way to conduct this survey, we met an elderly woman who was on her way to seek health services but was unable to walk due to pain. It is important to note that the distance from where we picked her to the clinic was about 25km to reach the facility. This is typical of most marginalized communities, especially in the rural parts of the country.

We interviewed participants on their views concerning responses from service providers, including police. When asked if police respond to reports, 30% of the participants indicated that they don^lt. They noted that perpetrators are brought in for questioning, however they are often released on bail and end up living in the same community as the victim. When the police were asked why this is the case, one police officer from Mafeteng district, cited the fact that police are under-resourced. The station he works for is responsible for rural Mafeteng which has no vehicle.

Furthermore, he also noted the limitation emanating from the judiciary system, citing for example the fact that in Lesotho there is no law on domestic violence. Intimate partner violence is treated as common assault which results in perpetrators getting light sentences or being released prematurely.

He also noted that the judiciary system is centralized with only one high court servicing the whole country. This is why there is a huge backlog of cases dating from as far back as 2017, which have not yet been heard in court. This means perpetrators who are released on bail often enjoy freedom for years before they are finally summoned to court, which also results in repeat offenses by the same individuals. It is important to note that when this report was being prepared, a pensioner teacher came to SM&D office to seek assistance. The woman recounted her ordeal when she was raped by a young man in her village. She reported him and he was arrested. However, he was quickly released on bail and she feared for her life especially because he had attempted to commit a similar offense on a young woman.

Conclusion

A report called “The Lesotho Debrief’ made by two international consultants, namely; Anita Leutgeb and Lorraine Kiswang evaluated SM&D’s work in gender and made recommendations. The report sets the baseline for areas SM&D must explore when undertaking the Amplify Change Project. The work must be done from an awareness and advocacy perspective in order to achieve results that can bring about significant changes from individual, grassroots, district and national levels. GBV is a serious challenge, made worse now due to additional socioeconomic shocks resulting from climate change disasters and COVID-19, to mention a few. The findings in this report can act as a guiding tool for programming that is evidence and impact oriented. An urgent need has been noted through this report for a GBV specific intervention that attempts to address the challenge, including its root causes and effects. SM&D must take advantage of the GBV consortiums and partnerships in order to ensure holistic people-centric solutions that also bring in the participation of men in programs to address GBV. Behaviour Change Communication that creates safe space where women and girls are empowered to negotiate safe, consensual and pleasurable sex is a priority. Therefore the Pleasure Approach is highly recommended as a key tool to achieve this.

Acknowledgements

Report produced by Dr Lelokoana Lesia (Sesotho Media & Development: Monitoring & Evaluation Officer)

Report Reviewed by Kudakwashe Chidhakwa (The Consultant Africa (Pty) ltd: Managing Consultant)

Report Approved by 

Mamolefe Petlane (Sesotho Media & Development: Executive Director)