UNICEF has called on the mining sector to invest in the prevention of violence against children as the country experiences a surge in cases of defilement and rape.

Speaking at the bi-annual general meeting of the Chamber of Mines, UNICEF Head of External Communications and Advocacy Tuduetso Kelapile expressed concern over the increasing incidents of violence in the country.

“We are grappling with a silent pandemic that many of us are turning a blind eye to. Each day, we read about a child being raped, a child being defiled, and a child giving birth to another child, a woman being killed, but we are not doing enough to address all these,” she said.

Kelapile pointed out that the police have recorded an increase in cases of defilement and rape of children. “In 2020 alone, police recorded over 1,800 cases of defilement, an increase in the number of cases as compared to 1,208 recorded in 2019. In 2021 police recorded 2003 defilement cases,” she said. Kelapile added it is disheartening that most of the time, abusers are often close relatives such as biological parents, siblings, stepfathers, stepbrothers, and cousins or people known to the family. She cautioned that the effects of abuse are not only felt by the children who experience it but they are also felt by their families and the communities as well as the nation at large.

The long-term effects of abuse may result in violence in schools, poor educational outcomes, delinquent children, reckless sexual behaviours which increase HIV, especially amongst adolescent girls, and dysfunctional adults and families.

Kelapile said the country requires a multi-faceted approach to address the scourge. She added that government cannot do it alone, calling on the mining sector to also contribute to the sustenance of interventions geared towards ending violence against children.

“We can’t just give this lip service, we need to invest resources that will enable the country to come up with sustainable solutions to ending violence against children,” she said. Furthermore, she implored the sector to engage employees and address some of the behaviours that predispose children to abuse.

For his part, CEO of Botswana Chamber of Mines, Charles Siwawa said the private sector has the responsibility to contribute to nation-building and securing the future of children.

“GBV is a serious issue that we need to address as a matter of urgency, and we have to act now,” he said. Siwawa added that there is a need to raise awareness of the impact of violence on children and the nation at large. Furthermore, he said that the chamber sits on the advisory council in which private sector leaders regularly engage with UNICEF to tackle emerging issues that affect children.