26 November 2024 by Limpho Sello

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A study by the Commonwealth found that violence against women is one of the main reasons many couples in Lesotho get divorced.

“A new element into the Lesotho exercise was the incorporation of the cost of the divorce. It was argued by the High Court in Lesotho that violence against women was a major cause of divorce,” explained Matau Futho-Letsatsi.

Letsatsi is the Director of Gender at the Ministry of Gender and Social Development. She presented the findings of a study on the Economic Cost of Violence against Women and Girls in Lesotho during the launch of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence on November 25, 2024, in Maseru.

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an important global event that calls for an end to violence against women and girls. It starts on November 25, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and ends on December 10, which is Human Rights Day.

Letsatsi said that in 2017, divorces cost Lesotho M15.9 million. This means that the money spent on all divorce cases that year, including court processes and other related costs, added up to M15.9 million. This amount was part of Lesotho’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is the total money the country earned in a year.

In 2017, there were 197 registered divorces in Lesotho, according to a report by the Lesotho Bureau of Statistics. This means that each divorce cost about M80,710.

Lesotho is the second country in the Commonwealth to get help from the Commonwealth Secretariat to do this study.