ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I explore how previous studies have dealt with the issue at the heart of my book, namely, the Bible and gender-based violence (GBV) with special interest and focus on the southern African context and Botswana in particular. This is to establish what has been done to address the issue and what still needs to be done, especially given the situation in Botswana where GBV incidences have reached pandemic levels, all to the detriment of women and girls. The chapter shines a light on the efforts that have been made and are still being made to address GBV using the Bible and its images, especially in neighboring South Africa and other parts of the continent and the world. To address GBV in our contemporary contexts-like Botswana, it requires a brave confrontation with the violence within the Bible itself, acknowledging that it is there, and it is bad, and using the same Bible to influence affirmative, non-discriminatory, and non-violent behaviors and attitudes towards especially women and girls. Such efforts are much needed in Botswana, where the Bible has been read selectively to support the patriarchal status quo, hence contributing negatively to gender equality and GBV.
