Botswana: Assistant Minister for State President Dumezweni Mthimkhulu, also Member of Parliament for Gaborone South Constituency, officiated at the handing over of donations to Tsholofelong Youth and Children Centre on behalf of the Minister of Transport and Public Works, Eric Mothibi Molale.
He said June 16 marks the Day of the African Child, and this year’s theme is “The Rights of the Child in the digital environment”. Mthimkhulu said that Government is concerned and willing to do something about the plight of marginalized children and youth in our society.
Furthermore, he said the commemoration of the Day of the African Child is especially significant as it reminds us of the outstanding boldness and courage of the thousands of African school children who, on June 16 1976, in Soweto, South Africa, took to the streets to claim their rights, to express their dissatisfaction about the poor quality of education they were receiving, and to demand their right to be taught in their language. Hundreds of children were shot dead by the police during the protests, and several were injured.
Mthimkhulu said specifically, for Botswana, some of the human rights violations against children that have been reported in the recent past by international and national human rights organizations and the law enforcement authorities in Botswana are: increased sexual violence against children, high rates of drug and substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, early marriages, increased exposure of children to HIV infection; child exploitation including child trafficking and forced labour to mention but a few.
He said Children’s rights in Botswana are protected at international, continental and domestic levels. He said they are guaranteed and protected under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989 and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child of 1990.
Moreover, he said the teaching of the mother tongue languages in Botswana commenced in January 2023, meaning that, Preschool, Standard 1 and 2 are for the first time in the history of this country taught in their local language.
He indicated that all these legal instruments demonstrate the Government’s commitment to promote and protect the right of children in Botswana and also emphasized on Vision 2036 Pillar on “human and Social Development”, which comprises Social Inclusion and Equality that encourages all of us to implement initiatives that aim to empower the marginalized people so that they too can positively contribute to the country’s development.
He stressed that Government highly supports these kinds of initiatives, which are meant to give back and grow communities across our Nation.