Human Trafficking in [Botswana] [other countries]
Street Children in [Botswana] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Botswana] [other countries]
 

Child Prostitution

The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

In the early years of the 21st Century - 2000 to 2010 gvnet.com/childprostitution/Botwwana.htm

Botswana Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $13,300 in 2008. On the downside, the government must deal with high rates of unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially was 23.8% in 2004, but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the second highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains. An expected leveling off in diamond mining production overshadows long-term prospects. [The World Factbook, U.S.C.I.A. 2009]

CAUTION:  The following links and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Botswana. Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated, misleading or even false. No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

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The Department of Labor’s 2006 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor [PDF]

U.S. Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs, 2007

www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/tda/tda2006/botswana.pdf

[accessed 23 January 2011]

INCIDENCE AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Children in Botswana are employed in agriculture, predominately subsistence farming, and family businesses. In remote areas, young children also work as domestic servants. Anecdotal evidence suggests that some children are exploited in prostitution. In addition, there are unconfirmed reports that Botswana is a country of transit for children trafficked into South Africa.

Human Rights Reports » 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, February 25, 2009

www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/af/118987.htm

[accessed 23 January 2011]

CHILDREN - Child prostitution and pornography are criminal offenses. Media and NGO reports indicated that prostituted children had been made available to truck drivers along the main road linking the country with South Africa and that many of the girls and boys were thought to be orphans.

Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1 October 2004

www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/botswana2004.html

[accessed 25 February 2011]

58. The Committee is concerned at the increasing incidence of sexual exploitation and abuse of children as mentioned in the State party report.

59. The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Undertake a study of children involved in commercial sexual exploitation and use its data to design policies and programmes to prevent commercial sexual exploitation of children, including through the development of a national plan of action on commercial sexual exploitation of children, as agreed at the first and second World Congresses Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, held in 1996 and 2001.

The Protection Project - Botswana [DOC]

The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), The Johns Hopkins University

www.protectionproject.org/human_rights_reports/report_documents/botswana.doc

[accessed 2009]

Trafficking Routes and Forms of Trafficking - Botswana is both a country of origin and a country of transit for trafficking in women and children for commercial sexual exploitation. Victims from Botswana are trafficked to South Africa via the so-called Maputo Road and are sold to brothels in Johannesburg.

More specifically, porous borders, combined with recurrent civil and political unrest and a lack of economic opportunity, have ensured a consistent southward flow of both legal and illegal migrants in southern Africa. Trafficking victims are difficult to distinguish amid these flows. In southern Africa, traffickers capitalize on the vulnerabilities created by war, poverty, minimal education, unemployment, and a general lack of opportunity. Some harmful cultural practices have caused women to be viewed as a sexual commodity, thus making them particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Women and children trafficked for prostitution are among the most vulnerable groups exposed to HIV/AIDS, and children orphaned by the disease are especially vulnerable to trafficking. Furthermore, the ongoing food crisis in the region has exacerbated already desperate conditions.

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Human Trafficking in [Botswana] [other countries]
Street Children in [Botswana] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Botswana] [other countries]