Rays of hope emerge for Botswana at CITES
Monday, November 14, 2022 | 960 Views |
In the news: The conservation of elephants is a highly divisive issue PIC: MBONGENI MGUNI
Rays of hope for Botswana and her elephant range neighbours have emerged ahead of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Conference of Parties (CoP) meeting in Panama, where several West African countries are pushing for a ban on the country’s elephant trophy trade.
CITES is an international body binding 183 states to agreements on the trade and protection of endangered plants and animals. The upcoming CoP19, to be held in Panama in November, is CITES’ highest decision-making meeting held every three years where countries frequently clash over proposals to tighten or loosen trade in various animal and plants.
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...