Of consent and reason

A curious discrepancy exists in the laws of Botswana. The official age of consent is pegged at 16 while the Children Act’s defines a child as being anyone under 18. According to other laws, a person aged 18 and above can vote, enter into a contract of marriage and drive certain vehicles.

That gap has been the space within which the immoral within our society have preyed on vulnerable teenagers, often entrapping them with monetary promises and essentially robbing them of their education and futures.

This year has been one rocked by a number of intergenerational sex scandals, mostly notoriously in Sebina involving a pregnant schoolgirl, which ended without clear resolution and/or clear justice to the teenager involved. Most recently, a shocking Ministry of Basic Education-sponsored report has revealed that a third of teens have their first sexual encounter before 13 years of age, a disturbing proportion of this being forced and the majority involving older partners.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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