Source: Statistics Botswana, 2021

127.Botswana notes that though the Country has not ratified this Convention, national laws have taken on board the aspirations of the Convention which presents good ground for ratification.

128.Government in collaboration with civil society organisations and community-based organisations continue to provide affordable childcare facilities.

129.A total of 1 147 private and public early childhood care facilities are available throughout the country with a total enrolment of 38 743 (19 339 girls and 19 404 boys).

130.Current legislation of pensions and social security, benefits qualifying women and men. The tripartite, through the Decent Work Country Programme 2020–2024, is developing a social protection scheme as a priority under the Programme. The envisaged scheme will leverage on lessons learnt from COVID-19. The scheme will be accessible to women and men and extend coverage to women in the informal economy.

Health

Recommendation 38

131.Initiatives to reduce maternal and infant mortality are on-going. Through the emergency obstetric maternal and amp; new-born care (EmOMNC) nurses and doctors are continuously given the skills to attend to emergencies that can and do emerge during pregnancy, labour and postpartum. So far district-based trainings are conducted periodically for nurses, midwives and doctors and to-date a total of 120 nurses and doctors (HCW) have been trained in 2022 to attend to obstetrics and/gynaecology that may result in losing women and children. As a way of promoting retention of nurses, the ministry has reviewed its pay structures to remunerate health care providers with overtime allowance of 30% added to it 10% for post basic courses like midwifery. This acts as an incentive to nurses in order to retain them to service.

132.The Government of Botswana has further put in place structures to audit maternal and new-born deaths in all structures of health, being institutional and national /audit systems or committees. On a frequent basis when a death occurs at an institution it is reported to the Ministry of Health Sexual Reproductive Health Division (SRHD) within 24 hours and the expectation is for the respective institution to audit that death and come up with recommendations for improvement. The case is further audited at the national level to further come up with solutions and recommendations to the institution where a death occurred. At the national level quarterly maternal mortality audits are conducted and the specific institutions are supported to rectify why a woman died. Mobile services have also been strengthened by decentralising transport and increasing the number of ambulances per district. The Ministry of Health has also embarked on the project to harness drone’s technology as an innovative solution to addressing one of the causes of maternal mortality by delivering live-saving commodities including drugs and blood.

133.In recognition of incidences of abortion coupled with maternal mortality due to abortion, Botswana is still consulting on the issue of decriminalising abortion. The Country still considers abortion or termination of pregnancy under the considered issues as stipulated by the Laws of Botswana, e.g. in cases of rape, incest, threats to the health and lives of a woman and the unborn baby as well as severe abnormalities/foetal impairment. However, health care workers continue to be trained with skills to provide comprehensive post abortion care to women coupled with the provision of modern contraceptives to avoid future unplanned pregnancies.

134.The Ministry of Health has introduced long-acting contraceptives (LAC) in the form of Implants both a three year and five-year types to prevent unplanned and unwanted pregnancies, this is in addition to the other methods that have been in place for the longest time in the country. The Ministry has also introduced the morning after pill/emergency contraception to the health care delivery system. Health care workers have in this regard been capacitated on implant insertions and removal in addition to other LAC as well as the provision of EC coupled with counselling of women.

135.Through the Sexual and Reproductive Health Division and a unit named “Male Involvement in SRH and response to GBV strategic documents in the form of guidelines to service providers have been developed. These guidelines were reviewed in 2022 and are ready for dissemination to the entire health care delivery system. Service providers will be trained to effectively respond to victims of GBV who in most cases are women and the girl child. The guidelines also cover management of key populations and stipulate the referral process of victims of abuse to relevant stakeholders for further management.

136.The Ministry of Health in partnership with CSOs since 2019 trained over 100 health care professionals on human rights based centred service provision including, medical ethics redefining of gender stereotypes to empower them with knowledge on how to better serve key and vulnerable populations. Furthermore, District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) also partner with CSOs to conduct joint programming, inter-referrals and linkage to services for Gender Based Violence.

137.In addition, MoH continues to strengthen cervical cancer screening services by conducting ongoing capacity building initiates, awareness and demand creation services nationally on the importance of screening-providers have been trained on screening and treatment up to 2022. The ministry has expanded the VIA screening modality to 18 districts, 75 facilities and 35 LEEP clinics. Furthermore, the ministry is currently working on the national cancer control plan to strengthen screening, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitation services for all cancers including cervical cancer.

Economic empowerment of women

Recommendation 40

138.The Ministry of Lands and Water Affairs through their programme Lefatshe Boswa alerts the public on their rights to accessing land; The Revised Botswana Land Policy of 2019 allows surviving spouses to pursue applications of their deceased partners; The Land Tribunal, a Court of equity holds road shows to sensitise women on the operations of the Land Tribunal. The Government during the Ministry rationalisation exercise moved the Land Tribunal from the Ministry of Lands and Water Affairs to the Ministry of Justice. This will enhance the integrity of the justice system in Land Adjudication as the respondents and the adjudicators will no longer be in the same Ministry.

139.The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) continues to mainstream gender in its policies, strategies and programmes as guided by the National Policy on Gender and Development and achievements include among others; The establishment of the Sector Gender Committee (SGC). The purpose of the Committee is to oversee gender sensitive programming, monitoring implementation of such programmes as well as sensitising and evaluating such initiatives in the sector; A Gender in Agriculture Strategy was adopted in 2020 following engagement with key stakeholders amongst them being women in rural areas and in agriculture. The Strategy covers several areas such as awareness raising on women’s access to agricultural land, sensitising Land Boards and Tribal Administration Authorities on the rights of women to access land, access to finance as well as extension and information services.

140.To close the gender gap in agriculture, the Government adopted gender sensitive and gender responsive programming. Examples include: The Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD) and the Livestock Management and Infrastructure Development (LIMID) Programmes. Majority of the beneficiaries of these are women; the LIMID II Impact Evaluation Survey Report published in February 2017 indicates that 70.3% women benefited from the programme compared to 29.7% men, Furthermore, Government provides arable farmers with inputs such as seeds, fertilisers, herbicides and draught power to undertake tillage operations through the ISPAAD Programme. The Programme also includes cluster and individual field fencing. The impact of the programme is that 60% of the women in the subsistence sector benefited thereby contributing to food security at household level.

141.Increasing global recognition of the need for gender equality and empowerment for effective development has resulted in the reprioritisation of gender equality in sport and development policies and strategies. The following are some of the efforts the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture in partnership with the Sporting Fraternity has embarked on:

142.In 2018, Botswana hosted the 7th IWG World Conference on Women and Sports demonstrating commitment at the highest level. The hosting of this event motivated the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture (MYSC) to develop a strategy, guidelines and implementation action plan for gender mainstreaming in sport through the support of the Commonwealth. The strategy is intended to contribute to the attainment of gender equality.

143.The strategy focuses on:

•Advocating for appointment of women in decision making positions in Sport Bodies,

•Resourcing women participation in sport, gender equality in sport,

•Fighting Gender Based Violence through sport,

•Promote relationship between female and males in sport,

•Increasing women participation in sport and professions,

•Raising awareness issues such as sexual reproduction health,

•Inclusion of marginalised groups in sport activities

•Curbing communicable diseases through sport in females as the most affected group.

•Eliminate perceptions perpetuated against female participation in sport.

144.Since the adoption of the strategy the following have been achieved.

•The Formation of Women and Sport Botswana (WASBO) a body which advocates and monitors women inclusion in Sport.

•The formulation and implementation of the Diversity and Inclusion Policy in 2022.

•The formulation and implementation of the Sexual Harassment Policy in 2022.

•Increase women involvement in sport by 30% in the Vision 2028.

145.To date, Botswana Government has more than 20 females in positions of administration leadership and technical in Regional, National Sport Associations and Sport Agency level.

Rural women

Recommendation 42

146.Government recognises the significant contribution of women in decision making and as such affords them the opportunity to participate at various levels starting at ward level. To date, females represent 69% of the total membership of Village Development Committees, 47% of VDC executive positions, 19% Councillors, 12% Mayoress and 43% of Council Management.

147.The satellite offices established in 2018 have since been upgraded to fully operational offices. In addition, the capacity of the National Gender Machinery has been increased from 31 to 72 Programme Officers. This has enabled the machinery to reach more communities particularly the rural areas.

148.Government has partnered with the Civil Society with the objective of building and empowering women (organised women groups) at community level (WE GROW). The partnership includes poverty alleviation as it targets the poor and marginalised women. To date, 17 groups with a total membership of 220 were formed. Some groups are growing their savings through micro-lending while other groups have started various small businesses.

149.Government also established partnership with Civil Society for empowering communities in remote area settlements to be self-reliant in food security. On this premise, a total of 11 hydroponic vegetable gardens have been planned for installation. To date, 5 have been installed. The project has benefitted 41 individuals of which 29 (70.7%) are women Beneficiaries have been equipped with skill on operating the hydroponic unit including servicing the equipment, making fertilisers and seedlings, business management acumen as well as marketing skills. This will enhance the skills transfer to young women and improve food security in their homes.

Indigenous and migrant women

Recommendation 44

150.The Remote Area Development Programme (RADP), its Affirmative Action Framework for Remote Area Communities (RACs) as well as the 10-year implementation plan were introduced in 2014 specifically as one of the flagship programmes. The plan involves regular consultations with RACs and monitors implementation of identified projects for the benefit of the RACs. The Affirmative Action Framework for RACs is guided by the Revised National Policy for Rural Development, the National Strategy on Poverty Reduction, and the RADP document of 2009. The Affirmative Action is meant to ensure that the RACs benefit from national programmes across sectors, through close monitoring of implementation and fast-tracking of programmes in the remote area communities, for optimal benefit.

151.Specifically, the affirmative action is intended to:

•Promote social inclusion of people living in recognised remote(delete) RACs to be able to participate in the economic and social activities of the country;

•Enable RACs to build sustainable livelihoods, promote self-reliance and sustainable utilisation of natural resources;

•Enhance RAC’s access to social services, poverty eradication initiatives and other national development programmes; and

•Facilitate community participation of RACs in community development initiatives; and (f) enhance collaboration with NGOs, CBOs, Faith Based Organisations (FBOs), Development Partners and Private Sector on the development of RACs.

152.The Prison Act emphasises access to health and education by convicts amongst whom are women. In this regard, clinics operated by trained health personnel are available in the facility to enable access to health services. With education, it is offered from standard 1 up to tertiary level. To de-stigmatise ex-offenders, a reintegration program is implemented in partnership with communities. On HIV treatment, the Government has removed obstacles whereupon ART is accessible to everyone regardless of nationality, gender, race, socio-economic status and sexual orientation.

153.The Botswana Prison Service operates 2 Infectious Disease Control Centres (IDCCs) in Francistown and Gaborone. These are clinics that provide HIV/AIDS related services to in-mates including detained illegal migrants.

154.It is worth noting that Botswana has adopted the Alternative to Detention Strategy to relieve expectant mothers, nursing mothers, and children. Marginalised persons who are eligible for detention and have reliable hosts (where an immigration officer can easily access them) are released from detention to their hosts subject to making written sureties on their behalf that they would arrange for their travel back home and inform the immigration officer on their progress until such a person leaves the country.

155.The detention process considers all humanitarian needs such as the health and legal needs of detainees. During detention, the Government ensures that families are not separated. For the economic benefit of refugees, they are issued with work and residence permits. Upon detention of a migrant, their health status is considered and they are supported accordingly. While under custody, migrant women and children have access to free medical services including antiretroviral treatment.

156.Women migrants who are not detained also have access to health services including antenatal care and immunisation for children.

157.With regard to legal services, migrant women have a right to legal representation and the freedom to seek private legal counsel. Women migrants also have access to employment that they qualify for.

Climate change

Recommendation 46

158.The Ministry of Environment and Tourism developed the Botswana Climate Change Response Policy (BCCRP) 2021 as an overarching framework to deal with Climate adaptation processes in the country. The Policy is aligned to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and has a dedicated chapter on gender. By this, gender sensitive measures are undertaken.

159.The Botswana National Climate Change Strategy (2018) and the National Adaptation Plan Framework for Botswana (2020) guide interventions on adaptation, mitigation and resilience.

160.The National Climate Change Strategy of Botswana (NCCB) has identified high level strategic activities for gender responsive adaptation activities, such as:

•Promoting equitable participation of women farmers and female headed households in Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Programmes, agro-tourism and access to conservation agriculture technologies.

•Ensuring gender equitable access to the proposed endowment fund providing low-cost finance to climate change adaptation projects.

•Developing a national Climate Change Gender Action Plan, encouraging women to drive climate resilience and including water, energy, and healthcare issues in households.

•Ensuring that women’s voices are included in natural resources management through their equitable participation in Community Based Natural Resources Management processes.

•Ensuring the full participation of women and female headed households in disaster management public gatherings, to address both the higher vulnerability of women and children, and to plan for higher post disaster burden placed on women due to their dual role as producers and carers.

Family relations and equality before the law

Recommendation 48

161.The Government of Botswana adopted a Law Reform Strategy (2020–2023) to promote rule of law and economic growth. The Law Reform Strategy aims to review outdated and inconsistent laws and regulations, to improve access to justice, promote enjoyment of human rights and other social protections. The Strategy remains a guiding document on reconciliation of customary and common law. (Response is as captured at 12a above).

162.The Adoption of Children’s Act is currently under review.

Data collection and analysis

Recommendation 50

163.The Government through Statistics Botswana undertakes periodic surveys and the collected data is disaggregated by sex amongst other variables, Examples include:

•National Population and Housing Census – 2022.

•Crime Statistics – 2022.

•Botswana AIDS Impact Survey – 2022.

•Informal Sector Survey – 2021.

•Multi-Topic Household Survey – 2020.

•The National Relationship Study – 2018.

•Botswana Demographic Survey – 2017.

C.Examination of progress on implementation of CEDAW

Part I

Article 1

Discrimination

164.The Constitution of Botswana provides for equality before the law. The recently concluded Constitutional Review process was all comprehensive and all-inclusive ensuring that marginalised voices such as women, children, People With Disability (PWD) and Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, Transgender, Intersex (LGBQTI) were heard. Furthermore, the review process has proposed that Section 15 of the Constitution be amended to include intersex as a ground for non-discrimination. In addition, Botswana ratified the revised Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender Development in 2017.

165.The Botswana Land Policy was revised in 2021 to facilitate ownership of land by both women and men married in community of property. In 2021, Botswana adopted the Economic Inclusion Act which aims to promote effective participation of targeted citizens in the economic growth and development of the economy. The Act is also expected to empower women as one of the targeted groups and this aligns with the principle of “Leaving No One Behind”. In addition, the Government adopted the Sexual Offenders Registry Act in 2021. The Act amongst others provides for stiffer penalties and recording of details of persons convicted of sexual offences. The Act further prohibits such persons from working with vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children and People With Disability.

Article 2

Policy measures

166.Since the last reporting period, Botswana adopted policies, institutional and administrative reforms. These include;

167.The National Energy Policy 2021 which recognises the energy needs of women and men and calls for the inclusion and consideration of these gender differences into energy strategies; Botswana Climate Change Policy 2021 also recognises differential impact of climate change on women and men and the need for intervention. Furthermore, the Ministry of Agriculture has also developed the Agricultural Gender Strategy that mainstreams gender into agricultural programmes.

Article 3

Guarantee of basic human rights and fundamental freedoms

168.Botswana continues to create legislation and structures that promote enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Noting limited knowledge on the laws of the Country which hinders access to justice particularly by women, government continues to make strides to mainstream gender into the Customary Justice System. During the reporting period, 296 Dikgosi have trained on Gender and Development and GBV.

Article 4

Special measures

169.The Government is committed to implementing special measures targeting vulnerable groups such as women, youth and people with disability. Government has adopted a number of initiatives to empower women and other vulnerable groups. The Poverty Eradication Programme provides economic opportunities to the most vulnerable populations, including remote-area communities. As at August 2022, 14 744 additional projects had been funded. In total, out of the 40 973 projects funded since inception, 29 564 are operational and have employed 34 553 people thus contributing to improved livelihoods.

170.The National Poverty Eradication Draft Policy will be reviewed in line with the recently enacted Economic Inclusion Act (2022) which provides for, inter alia, the implementation of economic empowerment laws and initiatives as well as the effective participation of “targeted citizens” in the economic growth and development of the economy. There are also reservations and preferential treatment for women, youth and people with disability in micro-procurement, project maintenance, price preference (tenders) and quota reservation for firebreak projects. As of December 2022, 31 524 women and 10 416 men benefitted from the Poverty Eradication Programme. Of these, 3 547 were youth, being 2 661 females and 886 males.

Article 5

Sex role stereotyping and prejudice

171.As highlighted earlier, Botswana has an enabling environment, through the existence of sound legal and policy frameworks to eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls. However, violence against and exploitation of women and girls remains a challenge, with one in three women having experienced GBV in their lifetime, and with women with disabilities two to three times at risk. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) accounts for most cases of violence against women (36.5% lifetime experience). Women of reproductive age are more likely to experience IPV than older women, specifically for those aged forty and older while 15% of women who have ever been pregnant experienced GBV during pregnancy. Higher levels of GBV are driven by entrenched gender inequalities and negative socio-cultural practices that assert male dominance over women and girls (patriarchy) fostering a culture of silence, fear and impunity related to GBV.

172.In an effort to prevent re-offending by perpetrators, Botswana Prisons Services introduced a programme aimed at promoting rehabilitation and re-integration of perpetrators into the society.

173.Capacity building for various sectors remains central to the success of GBV response with ongoing efforts to mainstream gender into the Customary Justice System through the implementation of the 2015 Dikgosi GBV Action Plan. A GBV Training Curriculum for Dikgosi was developed in 2019 for that purpose. Government is also finalising Guidelines on Child Welfare and Abuse, to assist Dikgosi on handling issues of child abuse.

Article 6

Prostitution

174.The Botswana Court of Appeal made a ruling in 2019 that same sex relations between consenting adults does not constitute a crime. There are organisations that are supported to work directly with these key populations to ensure they access health services and also cater for their rights. Revised HIV guidelines cater for key populations and provide services tailor made for their needs.

Part II

Article 7

Political and public life

175.The Electoral Act Chapter 02:09 of 2012, the Local Government Act 2012 and the Referendum Act CAP 02:10 guide the electoral processes in Botswana. These laws do not carry special measures to facilitate women’s representation. Botswana adopted the National Policy on Gender and Development in 2015 as a strategic guiding tool on gender interventions, and a National Gender Commission has been established to support the process towards an inclusive legislature. The unicameral parliament consists of 57 members who are directly elected in single-member constituencies using First Past the Post (FPTP), and they elect the President, who has the mandate to nominate six Specially Elected Members for election by the National Assembly, which totals 63 members, plus the Speaker of Parliament and the President of Botswana. The number of Specially Elected Members was increased from four to six before the 2019 elections, and four women were elected under this dispensation after nomination by the President. However, the number of women securing direct election remains low.

176.Botswana conducted a constitutional review in 2022 where issues of gender equality and women’s empowerment were high on the agenda. The Gender Policy and Action Plan sets equal representation as a national priority, and His Excellency the President of Botswana, in his inaugural address to Parliament, emphasised the need to increase the presence and participation of women in politics. According to the national progress report, “the FPTP arrangement is not adequate in ensuring that women fully participate in the electoral process.” Three women were elected under FPTP in the 2019 elections, and the President used the facility for Specially Elected Members to nominate 4 women, thus increasing the representation to 7 women of the total 63 members elected.

177.The SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) expressed regret at the low number of women who contested the elections, noting that there were only 11 women among the 210 candidates for election although 55 percent of voters in Botswana are women. Higher numbers could be achieved by encouraging the participating parties to field more women candidates to compete for parliamentary seats, among other measures. Botswana ranks last in the SADC rankings with 11.1 percent women in the National Assembly. The next general election is in 2024.

Table 2

Women in Botswana Parliament and Cabinet

	2014		2019
	Female	Male	Female %	Female	Male	Female %
Parliament	5	56	8.2	7	58	11
Cabinet	4	20	17	6	23	20.6

Source: Appointment of Cabinet Ref 5/57/13 I

Table 3

Women Representation in Local Government

	2014		2019
	Female	Male	Female %	Female	Male	Female %
Local Councils	116	473	24.5	117	591	19.7

Source: Local Government and Rural Development 2022

Article 8

Representation

178.Since 2017 to date, Botswana has made substantive progress in the representation of women at all levels of decision-making in economic and public life. Within the public sector, women make up 44 per cent compared to 56 percent for men of managerial level positions. Statistics.

Table 4

Participation of women in the Court of Appeal and High Court

	Female	Male	Female %
Chief Judge	0	1	0
Presidents	1	1	50
Judges	8	38	17
Magistrates	45	22	67

Source: Administration of Justice 2021

Table 5

Heads of Missions

Female	Male	Female %
6	17	26%

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2021

Article 9

Nationality

179.Botswana has a relatively strong civil registration and vital statistics system that has achieved 98% of birth registration coverage as per the 2020 Vital Statistics Report and about 80% of all deaths in the country. Considering another pathway with a bearing on one’s nationality is through marriage, the civil registration system accounts for all the common law marriages in the country as mandated by the Marriage Act.

Nationality or tribal affiliation of a child

180.In Botswana, women or men married to non-citizens have the right to keep their citizenship. In addition, children born from such union enjoy dual citizenship until the age of 21 years. This means that children can inherit out of their will, the citizenship of either parent.

Part III

Article 10

Education

181.In addition to information provided below refer to Part B (Response 34).

182.Botswana provides free and compulsory ten (10) years of Basic Education from Primary to Secondary school. This is in line with the Country’s Vision 2036’s Pillar which promotes Human and Social Development; the Revised National Policy on Education, Education and Training Sector Strategic Plan (ETSSP) as well as UN Sustainable Development Goals.

183.The ETSSP marks a significant milestone in our collective efforts as a nation to bring about a more diversified, knowledge-based economy. It is intended to strengthen the match between qualifications and labour market requirements, thereby ensuring that education outputs are more closely aligned to future employment needs. It also facilitates improved outcomes for all learners by addressing issues of quality, relevance, access, equity and accountability across the entire sector, from Pre-Primary school to Tertiary level.

184.With the view to accommodate learners from remote area communities, economically and socially disadvantaged groups, the Government has adopted the Affirmative Action Programme (AAP). The programme is intended to support learners socially, financially and psychologically to access education and training. Through this programme, an estimated 2754 learners, that is 8% of the total enrolment, have accessed university level education in 2021/22 academic year.

185.The Country has committed to providing a competitive and relevant curriculum that is delivered by qualified teachers and trainers, making compliance to quality assurance standards mandatory. To that end, the minimum qualification for teaching at a tertiary institution has been raised to an advanced university degree. Additionally, implementation of the quality standards meant that the number of personnel without teaching qualifications within the sector were drastically reduced. As per the ETSSP government has determined that Colleges of Education programmes should be upgraded to degree level, which will further strengthen the quality of teaching and learning in schools.

Article 11

Employment

186.The Botswana Demographic Dividend Study of 2018 revealed that two thirds of the population are economically active. Although unemployment rate is high (24.5 per cent) with youth and women being the most affected, Botswana has reached gender parity where 50.1% of the economically active males are employed compared to 49.9% of females. With the disruption of livelihoods and the limited access to social services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, women, young people and persons with disabilities face increased multi-dimensional inequalities based on income, gender and disability; this has further compounded their economic vulnerabilities.

Article 12

Health

187.Botswana is committed to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) with the Government aligning national health strategies to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and strengthening primary health care as the delivery vehicle to achieve equitable access to people-centred, non-discriminatory, comprehensive health services.

188.Furthermore, Botswana possesses a legal framework that ensures access to women and men to most aspects of SRHR care, information and education. In this regard, improvements in key sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) indicators have been recorded; decline in AIDS related deaths from 5 300 (2017) to 5 100 (2020), total fertility rate from 3 to 2.8 births per woman and increase in contraceptive prevalence rate from 53% to 64.7% (2017). Notwithstanding, pockets of unmet need for family planning exist, where 17% of women of reproductive age have an unmet need for family planning, evidenced through differential fertility rate by rural/urban divide and education level attainment. This was corroborated during the stakeholder consultations where participants expressed persistent stockouts of reproductive health commodities especially condoms arising from supply chain related bottlenecks. Trends in maternal mortality also reveal that the country is off track to meet the SDG target by 2030 when compared to projections.

189.This represents the unfinished business of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), and Botswana has made commitments to accelerate progress towards ending the unmet need for family planning, preventable maternal deaths, GBV and sexual transmission of HIV. Already, Botswana has recently developed an investment case on ending the unmet need for family planning to quantify the scale of sustainable financing required to ensure effective coverage of high impact interventions required to achieve this target.

Infant mortality rate (Female/Male)

190.Infant mortality rates have declined from 28 (2021) to 27.4 (2022) deaths per 1000 live births, but neonatal, infant and under-five mortality rates remain high at 39, 38, and 56 per 1,000 live births respectively. Neonatal mortality accounts for about 70 percent of child deaths in the first year. Under five mortality rate was 48 per 1000 live births in 2017.

Maternal mortality

191.There is a high rate of prenatal attendance by pregnant women and more than 98 percent of births are institutional. Even so, the investment into ensuring availability of comprehensive integrated SRHR, HIV and other health services has not adequately translated into the desired SDG maternal mortality target of 70 per 100, 000 live births by 2030. Botswana’s Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) was 130.5 in 2020 deaths per 100,000 live births.

HIV/AIDS prevalence amongst females and males

192.Government is concerned about the higher HIV prevalence amongst women than men. The Botswana HIV/AIDS Impact Survey 2022 (BIAS V) indicates that by 5-year age groups, HIV prevalence was higher amongst females in each age group from ages 20–24 years through to 40–44 years. GBV continues to be one of the key drivers of HIV/AIDS infections in Botswana.

193.With the support of the Global Fund Matching Funds for AGYW in the 2019–2021; 2022–2024 grant cycles, Botswana received USD 2 million to continue institutionalizing a range of information, skills and values to empower young people to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights, and to make healthier decisions about their health and sexuality by revising the national curriculum.

194.The Life-skills Toolkit (which operationalizes the National Life-skills Framework) provides guidance to implementers (Guidance and Counselling Teachers, Social Workers and health service providers) on delivering CSE to young people at pre-school, primary and secondary school levels, as well as those out of school.

195.The Ministry of Education is currently reviewing and updating the Life-skills Curriculum as well as developing a Parent-Child Communication Manual.

196.The following are the successes of the measures adopted by Botswana to reduce HIV prevalence among young people:

•With regard to condom distribution, according to the 2020 report of the Global HIV Prevention, Botswana is ranked as one of the best countries in terms of the number of condoms distributed per person per year in sub-Saharan Africa between 2018 and 2019.The report applauds Botswana for managing to narrow the gap regarding preventive benefits of condom use in the 15–49-year age group.

•With regard to the promotion of HIV testing as the entry point to every HIV/AIDS program, Botswana exceeded the World Health Organisation (WHO) 95-95-95 target. This shows that 95.1% of the adult population living with HIV know their status, 98% are on treatment, while 97.7% of those who are on treatment are virally suppressed.

•With regard to Voluntary Male Circumcision (VMMC), cumulative achievement from 2009–2022: 273 983 SMCs were conducted, which translates to 92.5.0% of the 298 180 needed to be reached by 2022. Of these SMCs 6 021 were done through the Early Infant SMC Project.

•Botswana has also been effective in reducing Mother to Child Transmission of HIV and has reduced direct transmission from mother to child to 2.21%, surpassing the 5% global target.

•In recognition of this achievement, Botswana became the first African country to be awarded the Silver Tier Certificate on the Path to eliminate of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV by WHO.

•The National comprehensive program to remove human rights and gender related barriers to HIV and TB services which is supported by the Global Fund’s Breaking Down Barriers Initiative covered 11 out of 27 health districts and will gradually be scaled up nationally to promote human rights awareness and capacitate key and vulnerable populations.

•Noting that Botswana exceeded the 95:95:95 target, Government expanded the mandate of National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency (NAHPA) to include Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). As such, in 2021, with the support of the WHO, Botswana developed an NCDs investment case to guide resources mobilisation for NCDs.

•In addition, Botswana was on 20th September 2022, bestowed with a “National Achievement Award” by the Africa-America Institute (AAI), for effectively containing and managing the spread of HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, among others. Furthermore, the Botswana Guidelines for HIV/STI Programmes for Key Populations was completed in 2020 with the support of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Through the assistance of UNFPA, the Government has developed the second National Condom Strategy (SBCC) 2020–2023, which is aligned to the National Strategic Framework III. The main highlights of the national strategy are to Strengthen coordination and condom programming, expand condom market beyond the public sector and address funding and resource gaps.

•Through social contracting, the Government has engaged CSOs in order to increase condom access to the community. 11 613 200 condoms were distributed in 2021 of which 36% were distributed by the various NGOs funded by Government.

197.In Botswana Gender Based Violence (GBV) remains a concern which became heightened in the advent of COVID-19 and has as such widened the gender inequality gap.

198.At the beginning on the pandemic in 2020–2021, Botswana experienced a surge in cases of violence against children, especially sexual violence. “COVID-19 exacerbated pre-existing challenges. It is very clear that some of the abuse is perpetuated in homes, a place where children should be safe. The country recorded increase of rape cases of children from 474 to 734, defilement cases increased from 1825 to 2033, while violence cases grew from 134 to 238 during the same period.

199.Access to health services was equally affected, with the routine immunization rate for children under 1 year dropping from 90 per cent to 47.5 per cent for all antigens for the same age group in 2021. “COVID-19 put a considerable strain on the health system, necessitating prioritization now to focus on continuity of essential and routine services such as ASRH and HIV services and building a more resilient system. The pandemic has also affected the education system in particular, about 26,000 learners enrolled in the Early Childhood Education programme missed two thirds of learning time in the first year of COVID-19. Learners with disabilities bore a double burden as the school closure resulted in them missing two thirds of learning time in the first year of COVID-19.

200.The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to roll back years of progress in protection and promotion of children’s rights, leaving children deprived of essential services and families struggling. The Country still has an outstanding challenge of building resilient systems to protect children and their families from any future shocks.

201.During the period GBV, service providers such as Botswana Police Service registered cases as per the below table.

Table 6 |

Botswana Police GBV Statistics 2020–21

Description	Year 2020	Year 2021
# of GBV Cases Register	18 290	24 432

GBV Related Offences	Total Number of Reported Cases (2019)	Total Number of Reported Cases (2020)	Total Number of Reported Cases (2021)
Rape	2 265	1 919	2 111
Defilement	1 208	1 825	2 033

In 2020 a total of 345 clients were admitted at the 2 shelters in Botswana.

Article 13

Economic and Social Benefits

202.The National Poverty Eradication Draft Policy will be reviewed in line with the recently enacted Economic Inclusion Act (2022) which provides for, inter alia, the implementation of economic empowerment laws and initiatives as well as the effective participation of “targeted citizens” in the economic growth and development of the economy.

203.Botswana continues to avail start-up capital through the Youth Development Fund (YDF) to economically empower the youth as means of including them in the mainstream economy. From 2009 to 2020, a total of 10 729 youth (6 383 males, 4 346 females) benefited from the YDF funding. Out of these, 73 were persons with disability while 460 were youth in remote area (RADS).

204.There are Reservations and Preferential Treatment for the youth in micro‑procurement, project maintenance, price preference (tenders) and quota reservation for firebreak projects. From April to November 2022, total expenditure on 20% quota reservations (micro procurement) was USD 2 684 367.66 while USD 164 959.75 was spent on 15% quota for maintenance. USD 46 351 062.35 was spent on 15% price preference (tenders) while the total expenditure for 30% quota reservation for firebreak projects is USD 16 229.84 Youth are also allowed to identify unused open spaces to utilise at no cost for setting up business stalls.

205.Government is also committed to alleviating out of school youth from poverty through the National Service Programme (Tirelo Sechaba), which empowers unemployed youth with skills and experience across various industries and business sectors. Youth enrolled in the program are given a monthly allowance to cover basic expenses. As at March 2019 to date, 14 054 out of a target of 15 000 youth were enrolled. The National Internship program offers unemployed citizen graduates a chance to develop work skills and experience that will support them in the transition from academia to the working environment through attachments in various organisations in Botswana. Placement is done for a maximum period of two (2) years. Selection is done on a first come first serve basis by considering the available vacancy, qualification and place of service. Similarly, the National Internship Programme offers the graduates a monthly allowance for basic expenses. Since 2018 to date, 13 423 youth graduates have been enrolled in the Programme.

206.As of December 2022, 31 524 women and 10 416 men benefitted from the Poverty Eradication Programme. Of these, 3 547 were youth, being 2 661 females and 886 males.

207.Profiling of the poor which leads to identification of appropriate and responsive interventions has been undertaken in four (4) severely impacted districts (Letlhakeng Tutume, Charleshill and Gumare. Implementation of recommendations such as support to access markets for local produce is ongoing.

208.The management of child poverty and intergenerational transmission of poverty has been achieved through implementation of programmes that facilitate access to adequate education, food and health care. These include the Early Childhood Development (ECD) whose objective is to bridge a child’s two worlds: home and school.

209.The Botswana National School Feeding Programme has a universal coverage and it reaches school children from reception to standard seven (7) in all government owned schools. The programme provides two on-site hot meals a day covering 364 859 learners in 764 public primary schools country wide. Thus, early morning breakfast before classes commence and mid-morning meals. A special dispensation of a third lunch meal is given to 23 049 learners in Remote Area Settlements or from vulnerable communities. The school feeding programme also caters for Secondary school students.

210.Employment and wealth creation continue to be a priority for the country. As such, the implementation of targeted citizen economic empowerment programmes, aimed specifically at women, youth and other vulnerable members of society will be maintained. These include Women Empowerment initiatives, Youth Development Fund and the Poverty Eradication Programme. Affirmative action for these groups is being strengthened through amongst others, the Economic Inclusion Act, Local Economic Development Strategy and the Public Procurement Act.

211.Progress has been made in the provision of infrastructure in the rural areas to improve the investment environment and accessibility of services. This includes provision of electricity, water, roads, housing, sanitation, information communication technology as well as harnessing renewable energy sources. The rate of electrification stood at 72% access in 2020 (90.74% in urban areas and 26.38% in rural areas) while 203 villages are being connected for ICT purposes through SmartBots Village Connectivity Project.

212.To accelerate infrastructure development and to increase employment opportunities at local authority level, the Government has rolled out the Constituency Community Projects (CCP) programme covering all 57 constituencies in the financial year 2017/18. The total yearly funding under this Programme is USD 570 000.00 where each constituency benefits USD 100 000.00. Infrastructure developed includes classrooms, storm water drainage, roads, day care centres, guest houses and streetlights.

213.Human Capital Development, prioritizing efforts to boost skills development and training, with emphasis on technical training as well as up-skilling of the poor continues to be developed.

214.To mitigate the effect of COVID-19, the Government adopted the new Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency funding guidelines in 2020. The guidelines aim to make funding for the establishment and expansion of businesses more accessible, they are further designed to cushion both women and men from the aftermath of COVID19 pandemic with loans up to USD 500,000 not requiring security. Furthermore, CEDA developed Letlhabile Product which has to date assisted a total of 494 women led businesses to the value of USD 2.2 Million in 2021 and sustaining 5494 jobs in the process. These include enactment of the Economic Inclusion Act 2022. Furthermore, the Government through CEDA has assisted 9065 female led businesses to the tune of USD 13.2 Million creating employment for 16 160 since April 2014 to the end of January 2021.

215.Government continues to provide social safety nets to cushion vulnerable groups from abject poverty, malnutrition and diseases. These include the Destitute Programme, Ipelegeng (Public Works Programme) where majority of beneficiaries are women, Under Five feeding Programme, Orphan Care Programme for orphans and vulnerable children, Old Age Pension as well as disability allowance.

Article 14

Rural women

216.Botswana’s rural population comprises approximately 30 percent of the total population. Although infrastructure and services have improved, poverty remains high in rural areas, as the majority of rural households continue to depend on subsistence agriculture under harsh climatic conditions, along with low incomes from informal businesses. The percentage of people living in severe poverty is higher in rural areas at 7.4 per cent vis-a-vis 1.3 per cent in urban areas.

217.The gender inequalities in the sector such as men having more access, ownership and control to land, credit/finance, information, technology, markets and agriculture support services continue to be addressed through gender sensitive programming. The interventions such as the Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD) and the Livestock Management and Infrastructure Development (LIMID) Programmes have more women than men benefitting. The LIMID 11 Impact Evaluation Survey Report published in February 2017 reflects that 70.3% women and 29.7% men benefitted. These figures are for the Resource poor component of the Programme which involves individuals who owned up to 4 cattle or up to 20 small stock being given chicken and small stock assets to improve their livelihoods. The infrastructure component which includes water drilling, animal husbandry and fodder support and abattoirs was given to farmer syndicates and not individuals. In this component men seemed to benefit more than women as they constitute the majority.

Part IV

Article 16

Marriage and family life

218.The Married Persons Property (Amendment) Act 2021 provides for registration of property by married persons. This allows transparency in property ownership between married persons thereby reducing property grabbing.

Challenges

219.The main challenge that hinders effective implementation of the CEDAW is inadequate resources for institutional capacity development.

Mitigation

220.Government continues to provide resources though limited to various entities including Civil Society to support the National Gender Programme. In addition, Government collaborates with Development Partners, the Private Sector and other countries to learn best practice.