05 Oct 2015

North West District councillors have welcomed the proposed national survey on life experiences among children. The survey could avail up-to-date statistics on the extent and nature of children’s problems.

Commenting after the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso’s presentation regarding the survey in Maun recently, councillors said they would give the survey team utmost support. They said the survey would reveal problems faced by children and give government a clear direction on how to avail resources to address them. 

They said the findings of the survey would inform policy development, which would promote a safe environment for children.

They said there were many issues that affected children especially in rural areas where lack of parental guidance was rife. Some children ended up being abused or indulging in drugs and alcohol as well as dropping from school.

Cllr Lelejwang Sokwe said parental guidance was a great concern in settlements; hence more children absconded from school for no good reason. Ms Tshireletso had informed the meeting that the study was a national household survey to retrospectively assess the life experiences of children aged between five and 24.

She explained that life experiences constituted physical, emotional, ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or other exploitation resulting in actual harm to the children’s health, survival and development.

She said the survey was initiated by, among other things, the UN secretary general’s Global Survey on Violence Against Children. She also indicated that there was lack of comprehensive statistics on the extent and nature of the problem. Ms Tshireletso noted that the survey had been completed in eight countries and another eight countries, which included Botswana undertook the survey from 2014 through to 2016.

In Botswana, she said, the survey started this year and her ministry had partnered with the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention Botswana to conduct the study adding that funding had been set aside for the success of the exercise.

UNICEF availed the technical personnel to lead the coordination of the survey and further provided technical input while Statistics Botswana would lead in proving advisory responsibilities for conducting surveys on human subjects. The assistant minister appealed to councillors to advocate for their communities’ participation in the survey and engage them n the issues of the survey. Ends