Young women need us, all of us!
Monday, November 20, 2023 | 60 Views |
The statistics presented by NAHPA's national coordinator, Ontiretse Letlhare, during a Gala Dinner in honour of First Lady Neo Masisi, emphasise an upsetting reality. AGYW, constituting only nine percent of Botswana’s population, bears the burden of approximately 24% of new HIV infections.
This discrepancy raises red flags and necessitates a concerted effort to tackle the trend. It is troubling that despite Botswana surpassing global UNAIDS targets, the AGYW category lags below the national average in terms of HIV testing and viral suppression.
It is not uncommon in this part of the world for parents to actually punish their children when they show signs of depression associating it with issues of indiscipline, and as a result, the poor child will be lashed or given some kind of punishment. We have had many suicide cases in the country and sadly some of the cases included children and young adults. We need to start looking into issues of mental health with the seriousness it...