Violence against children is a profound violation of human rights that has far-reaching consequences for children’s well-being. Experiences of violence can lead to lasting physical, mental, and emotional harm, regardless of whether a child is a direct victim or witness.
On the 19th February 2024, a rape incident occurred in Mochudi and was reported to the Mochudi police station on the 20th February 2024. A case was opened by the Mochudi police station and the accused was arrested, and later released after a period of 48 hours. In a span of a month, the nation has witnessed a series of heinous acts where children were killed by their biological fathers. On the 8th July, a father took the lives of his two toddlers in Francistown. And on Wednesday 17th July the country woke up to hear about the tragic occurrence in Tati-Siding. These followed similar acts across the country including Bobonong, Gaborone, and Maun. These barbaric acts offer insights into the collective psycho-social wellbeing of our society. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines child maltreatment as “all forms of physical and emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation that results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, development or dignity.
There's more to this story
But to keep reading, we need you to subscribe.
Investigative journalism is an indispensable part of a healthy society, but it's also expensive to produce. We are reliant on subscriptions to fund our work, and while you can enjoy most of our stories for free, a small number of premium features are reserved for subscribers.
You can subscribe for one week, a month or a full year - the choice is yours.
Save 77% on an annual subscription. Click here to find out how.
Existing subscribers can log in to keep reading here.
