10 Sep 2026

Rising cases of defilement in Gakhibane have raised concern among community leaders, with child neglect, substance abuse, school dropout and inadequate parental supervision identified as factors exposing children to sexual abuse.

In an interview, Gakhibane Councillor, Ms Trudy Modisapowana, said the situation remained worrying, particularly as some cases were only reported when victims became pregnant.

She said child neglect was one of the major contributing factors, as some children were left without adequate supervision and guidance, making them vulnerable to abuse.

Ms Modisapowana also cited children’s involvement in risky behaviours, including substance abuse and dropping out of school, as emerging concerns in the village.

She further identified the sale and consumption of home-brewed alcohol by minors as another factor increasing children’s vulnerability to sexual abuse.

She said easy access to alcohol could expose children to situations where their safety and judgement were compromised.

Of particular concern, she said, was the reluctance of some parents and families to report suspected or known cases of defilement.

“Some cases only come to light when the child is already pregnant and has to seek healthcare,” she said, adding that stigma surrounding defilement resulted in some families concealing cases.

She cautioned that keeping such cases within families not only denied victims timely protection and support, but could also allow perpetrators to continue abusing children.

In response, Ms Modisapowana said village leadership was working closely with stakeholders, including the Botswana Police Service and Social Welfare Office, to strengthen community interventions.

The stakeholders have been conducting Kgotla meetings, workshops and awareness activities to educate parents and the wider community about defilement, child protection and appropriate channels for reporting and handling cases.

The village is also working on a proposed soup kitchen initiative targeting parents identified as negligent.

Ms Modisapowana explained that the initiative would provide a safe and supportive environment where vulnerable children could receive care, guidance and education, while being taught ways of protecting themselves from abuse.

While the cases of defilement were on rise in Gakhibane, Principal Social Welfare Officer, Ms Masego Kgomotso, said the Tsabong District Social Welfare Office painted a positive picture in the district.She said while the district recorded 100 defilement cases by January 2025, statistics showed a notable decline.

She said they had introduced a district-wide anti-defilement campaign as one of the initiatives to curb rising cases.

The campaign, launched in January 2025, is intended to run for two years and focuses on strengthening awareness and prevention of defilement across the district.

Ms Kgomotso said statistics showed a notable decline in reported cases during the period under review.

Between April and August 2023, the district recorded 21 cases, which increased to 25 during the same period in 2024.

However, following the introduction of the campaign, cases declined to 10 between April and August 2025 and further to eight during the same period in 2026.

She described the decline as encouraging, although she expressed concern that five of the eight cases recorded in 2026 originated from Gakhibane.

Ms Kgomotso said Social Welfare had observed that some cases involved teenage mothers who, having themselves experienced teenage pregnancy or sexual abuse, might not always recognise the seriousness of exposing their own children to similar risks.

She also said some perpetrators were providers for the victims and their families, creating a difficult situation in which parents became hesitant to report abuse for fear of losing financial or material support.

She stressed the importance of equipping communities with knowledge of child protection laws, particularly the Children’s Act, so that parents and community members understood their responsibilities and know how and where to report abuse.

The Social Welfare Office continues to use different approaches to reach various groups within the community. 

Ms Kgomotso said recent efforts included a capacity-building workshop for women conducted in partnership with Botswana Substance Abuse Support Network (BOSASNet) and health authorities, which attracted 53 women from Gakhibane.

She said football tournaments were also being used as an avenue to engage boys, particularly because available evidence and community observations indicate that boys and men constitute a significant proportion of alleged perpetrators.

Despite these interventions, Ms Kgomotso identified delays in the prosecution of defilement cases as a major challenge.

She said prolonged court processes could jeopardise cases when children reached the legal age during proceedings, while in some instances evidence might be deliberately destroyed.

She further noted that cases tended to increase during school holidays and major district events such as the Khawa Dune Challenge and Kokotsha Horse Race. 

According to her, increased vulnerability during such periods might be linked to inadequate parental supervision and risky behaviour among children.

She said Social Welfare officials remained visible at such events to provide awareness and reinforce child protection messages. ends