The Equity Empowerment Lab: Fostering Social and Economic Equity for Survivors of GBV

The Equity Empower Lab is a transformative initiative focused on dismantling the persistent and multifaceted issue of gender-based violence (GBV) against women in Botswana. Despite national efforts, GBV remains widespread and deeply entrenched in patriarchal norms, cultural practices, and structural inequalities. Women across Botswana experience GBV in many forms—domestic violence, intimate partner violence, marital rape, sexual harassment in public and private spaces, and harmful traditional practices such as forced marriages and property dispossession after a spouse’s death. These forms of violence often go unreported due to fear of stigma, economic dependency, or lack of faith in the justice system.

This research seeks to explore these dynamics in depth, using a survivor-centered, intersectional approach. The Equity Empower Lab will analyze Botswana’s legal frameworks, healthcare response, police handling of cases, and community-based interventions to determine their effectiveness in preventing and responding to GBV. It will investigate gaps in how the Domestic Violence Act and other protective laws are implemented and explore how service providers respond to LBT women seeking assistance.