20 Nov 2016

The Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso, says addressing issues of social exclusion and marginalised people requires change in attitudes, policies and practices.

Giving a keynote address at Botswana Network on Ethics Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA) AGM in Gaborone on Friday, she stated that despite Botswana being lauded as an African success story, poverty and exclusion still existed especially in rural areas.

Ms Tshireletso noted that this situation was exacerbated by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, adding that Botswana had the second highest adult prevalence rate in the world which therefore threatened life expectancy.

The assistant minister highlighted that marginalised groups particularly lesbians, gays, bisexuals, sex workers and people with disabilities continued to experience prejudice and violation of their rights.

She indicated that there was a significant increase in child sexual abuse such as incest and defilement and domestic violence which was left unreported to authorities.

She noted that the use of multiple channels such as media and dialogues was necessary in order to understand and accommodate the marginalized groups.

“There is no better way to achieve this than by supporting people who experience injustice and marginalization to voice out their issues, no one is in a better position to raise awareness about their life experiences than themselves.”

Ms Tshireletso said as government they would continue to support BONELA and other civil society organisations to end marginalization by providing functional, accessible public health facilities.
BONELA executive director, Ms Cindy Kelemi, stated that there was need to address sex work among minors, which she said was involuntary as at times children were driven in to sex work by their parents.

She highlighted that BONELA had projects that supported and advocated for children's rights that she said were bearing fruits in the past three years.

She indicated that there were working with policy makers, police, media and parliamentarians to ensure that every stakeholder was updated and aware of children's rights.

However she stated that BONELA was rapidly challenged by the changing donor environment and the increased workload they faced. ENDS