The children from this small village located in the North West of Botswana suffer perpetual cruelty at the hands of men old enough to be their parents or guardians. The village remains a ‘hub’ of rapists with disturbing cases involving children being recorded regularly. Statistics from the Botswana Police Service show that in 2023, the Sehithwa police station recorded nine rape cases of which four involved minors aged less than 12 years and 13 years. In 2024, the station recorded 11 rape cases of which five involved minors and six cases of defilement (up to 18 years).
Already, by the start of 2025 the area has recorded two cases of defilement with one involving a minor and another 16-year-old. Moreover, the police are currently investigating a case in which an eight-year-old girl was raped by a 41-year-old man, who happens to be the child’s neighbour. In an effort to curb this scourge, back in 2023 government increased penalties against sexual offenders. However, the adjustment in penalties has not been a deterrent as sex offences continue to take place unabated, anyway. Through their preliminary investigations, police said they discovered that the perpetrator started sexually assaulting the minor, who stays with her grandmother, from 2023 when she was doing standard one. Then, the suspect would buy sweets and other snacks to entice the then six-year-old girl and subsequently rape her. Narrating the ordeal to Mmegi, Sehithwa police station commander, Superintendent Molly Lebala-Moduke said the neighbour's cruelty proceeded for two years unnoticed.
