19 Jun 2022

Over 160 cases of defilement, 22 cases of rape, four cases of incest, four cases of sexual abuse and one case of child neglect have been recorded in Okavango Sub-district this year. 

Speaking at the commemoration of the Day of the African Child in Tubu last Thursday, North West District Children's Forum chairperson, Mr Aratwa Hendrick appealed to all stakeholders to work together to eliminate all practices harmful to children. 

He said some of the contributing factors to child abuse were poor socio-economic backgrounds and child headed families. 

He also said sexual abuse in children was mainly caused by lack of parental guidance and child neglect. 

Children on one hand, he said, engaged in unwelcome behaviour such as drug and alcohol abuse, which negatively affected their academic and social performance. 

However, Mr Hendrick applauded the government for revising the defilement policy and taking up the age of childhood to 18 years. He also commended government for increasing the penalty for sexual offences to 20 from 10 years imprisonment. 

In his remarks, Gumare Assistant Station Commander Superintendent Kamogelo Olatotswe said the Day of the African Child was aimed at challenge African Union member states to re-evaluate their policies and programmes to cater for children at risk. 

Supt Olatotswe also said some harmful practices affecting children included child marriages, child labour, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and trafficking. 

He said there was a high number of children who were neglected by their fathers and challenged all stakeholders such as dikgosi, churches and other non-governmental organisations to call men to order. 

Government on the other hand, he said, continued to address issues of abuse as seen by the enhancement of penalties for sexual offences. ends