25 Mar 2026

Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs has for the first time allocated direct funding to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) that have long relied solely on external donors.

The ministry, which has traditionally funded gender-based violence (GBV) shelters across the country, had now recognised the need to extend meaningful support to broader Civil Society Organisations working in gender and youth development.

Presenting the ministry’s budget estimates for the 2026/27 financial year recently, Minister Lesego Chombo said out of the proposed P686,649,970 recurrent budget and P5 million for the development budget, the ministry had earmarked P16,050,000 specifically for women’s voluntary organisations. 

“This allocation will directly support Civil Society Organisations,” she said. 

Ms Chombo emphasised that the ministry had re-energised grassroots engagement, working closely with communities to foster a sense of responsibility, build local capacity and co-create sustainable solutions to eliminate GBV in all its forms.

“We continue to collaborate with local authorities, Dikgosi, the religious community and CSOs to transform harmful social norms that perpetuate violence,” she said.

The minister reiterated government’s commitment to building a just, equitable and prosperous society where gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls served as foundational drivers of sustainable development, economic growth and national stability. 

She noted that the gender portfolio was anchored on two key instruments, which included the National Policy on Gender and Development and the National Strategy Towards Ending Gender-Based Violence.

“Both are currently undergoing comprehensive review to ensure they remain relevant to today’s challenges. Consultations are ongoing, with finalisation expected in August,” she added.

Ms Chombo further announced that Cabinet had approved the drafting of a transformative GBV legislation. She said preliminary stakeholder consultations had been completed and drafting instructions were submitted to the Attorney General’s Chambers in February. 

“The envisaged legislation will address existing gaps in national GBV management. It will be comprehensive and will strengthen current legal provisions as well as introduce an inclusive, preventative, survivor-centred, and multi-sectoral approach,” she said.

Despite significant progress, the minister acknowledged that GBV remained a persistent and devastating scourge in Botswana. Regarding the 2018 National Relationship Study, she revealed that 37 per cent of women and 21 per cent of men had experienced some form of violence at least once in their lifetime. In 2024, she said the Botswana Police Service recorded 31 975 cases of offences against the person, of which 10 747 were GBV-related. 

“These included murder, rape, defilement of children under 18 and violence against children, including cases where parents murdered their own children. These trends are a sobering reminder that violence against women and girls continues to undermine the very fabric of our communities,” she said.

During the budget debate, Palapye MP and Minister of Water and Human Settlement, Mr Onneetse Ramogapi, supported the budget and called on all stakeholders to join the ministry in the fight against the rising GBV cases across the country.

However, Francistown West MP Mr Ignatius Moswaane raised concerns about other allocations under the ministry. He argued that the P150 million budgeted for the Tirelo Sechaba Programme was insufficient and should be reviewed. He also described the P120 million allocated to the Youth Development Fund (YDF) as too little, especially given that 60 per cent of Botswana’s population consisted of youth, many of whom were unemployed.

“The Youth Development Fund should be substantially increased to create sustainable jobs for the majority of our young people,” he said. BOPA