Fathers committing filicide: a horrifying new reality – Police
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Tuesday September 3, 2024 08:50
Motube was reacting to the emerging trend of filicide in the country. Filicide, defined as the intentional killing of one's own child or children by a parent, is becoming widespread in Botswana and requires immediate attention.
The incidents where parents murder their own children are a shocking new trend that has taken the nation by surprise. In Monarch location last month, a 35-year-old man Unangoni Salathi allegedly slit the throats of his two children aged three years and 11 months in the absence of the mother. A week later, a 40-year-old gardener Boikanyo France allegedly murdered his three sons and stabbed his mother at Mmoroso ward in Tati Siding. France allegedly murdered his children because he could not come to terms with the fact that the mother of his three children had ended their relationship. Prior to that the Tati Siding and Monarch filicides, a man in Maun allegedly brutally murdered his own child.
In an interview with Mmegi, Motube stated that the problem needs to be handled immediately on a personal, community, and national level due to the significant concerns it has raised. He stated that they mainly depend on the general public to enforce self-policing. “Everyone needs to reassess themselves. Maintain a healthy mindset and take care of yourself. You need to be capable of taking care of their personal security and that of their property,” he emphasised.
At this point, he said that they don't know who is in a proper mental state or what's going through their minds to cause them to act rashly and kill their own children. According to Motube, parents are supposed to take care and defend their children. He said that it is unfortunate that children who are left behind with either one of their parent might not feel safe due to recent incidents.
“The recent killings have put children's safety in jeopardy. They are no longer at ease knowing that their parents could kill them at any time,” he added. Motube elaborated that this shows that they have serious policing challenges. He stated that they are living in an era where there is revenge filicideand children pay the price for their parents’ misunderstandings.
“If partners have differences they should not resort to killing their own children as a solution,” he added. He emphasised that strong campaigns against filicides are required as an urgent form of intervention. Additionally, Motube advised partners to consult a professional before making any hasty decisions so they can get the support they need.
During the annual national community policing awards, Francistown mayor, Godisang Radisigo expressed his frustrations at the growing filicides incidents. He stated that the recent filicides occurrences in Francistown and surrounding areas are entirely unjustified. The mothers are now afraid to leave their kids behind for fear that they will discover them dead at the hands of their partners or fathers, elaborated Radisigo.
“We are really troubled. If there is miscommunication between partners, one will turn their rage towards children and kill them. This is extremely concerning and requires intervention,” he added. In an earlier interview, psychologist Tsholo Zion discussed the reasons why people kill their biological or stepchildren.
Zion made it clear that anything else, like abusing a partner or murdering them or their kids, is only a reaction to the long-standing animosity inside the person. 'In order to stop this, each person must look within themselves, address childhood traumas, personal failures, hurts, and disappointments; additionally, relationships, friendships, jobs, losses of all kinds, and other heartbreaking incidents must be addressed.' Zion made this observation.