03 Sep 2019

 A pregnancy and defilement workshop called by the Francistown District Health Management Team (DHMT) in conjunction with leadership of Mabesekwa, a RADS settlement 60km west of Francistown, has revealed social ills that the settlement is grappling with.

Such social ills include concealing births, excessive alcohol and drug abuse, which seem rampant in the settlement . 

The deliberations also revealed high levels of gender-based violence, including sexual exploitation, harassment and abuse. 

Young girls below the consent age of 18 years have few options for justice as such cases are not often reported and in some cases, families prefer to negotiate with men who impregnate the girls, including reaching agreement with the perpetrators to provide financial support for the girls during pregnancy, rather than to seek redress through official channels. 

But in many other cases, the girls do not inform their families about the responsible men because of the taboos and stigma associated with such pregnancies.

Case in point, two women were recently sentenced to prison for child negligence. One woman was imprisoned for neglecting her three children and going on a drinking spree. The children  are now housed at SOS Francistown children village.

Another woman has almost finished her prison term and is now serving extra mural for the same reasons.

On the other hand, people have been missing and found dead under dubious circumstances. Two of them were found burnt in their houses, while one went missing and was found hanging on a tree using a tree thread (lelodi). 

Recently, a pregnant woman went missing and there are no hopes that she will be found alive.

Apart from teenage pregnancy and defilement, which are rampant amongst the school going girls, the settlement is grappling with alcohol and drug abuse. 

DHMT management and village leaders also expressed disappointment because parents seem to have taken the back seat, instead of instilling discipline among their children. 

Ms Caroline Setshego, a sexual reproductive health coordinator for the Greater Francistown District Health Management Team (DHMT), told the workshop that since January 2018 to July 21 this year, the settlement had registered a total of 18 adolescent pregnancies, which was very high in comparison to the population of the settlement. 

She said this was worrisome because tit placed the girls at risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS.  

Ms Setshego said some of the children below the age of 18 have three to four children due to inter-generational sex, which was increasing at an alarming rate in the settlement, coupled with alcohol and drug abuse. 

“Parents are just too busy with alcohol and drugs, which has a negative impact and can lead to sexual addiction and loss of power of self-control, which end up in inter-generational sex,” she said.

A social Welfare Officer at the settlement, Ms Goabaone Mogapi said the two cases of child neglect were part of the five cases registered since the beginning of the year, adding that the five cases involve 10 parents.

She said the Children’s Act provides for the protection and guidance of children, adding that children must be protected from sexual abuse, exploitation, prostitution and pornography.  

She said called on everyone to play their role in the protection of children’s rights. ENDS