Africa-Press – Botswana. The World Population Review 2023 has cited Botswana as the country with the highest number of rape and Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases in the world, says Assistant Minister for State President, Ms Maipelo Mophuting.
Presenting before Parliament on Wednesday, the draft National Development Plan 12 (NDP 12) chapter on Democracy, Governance, Peace and Security (DGPS), Ms Mophuting said the report indicated that 92.93 per 100 000 people experienced rape, while over half of all physical and sexual violence cases recorded in 2023 involved GBV.
She said the statistics, hampered the country’s vision for upholding the Rule of Law and ensuring public safety and protection.
“This is not just a statistic, it is a national emergency that demands urgent, coordinated intervention,” she said. Subsequently, the Assistant Minister said plans were under way to undertake a comprehensive review of the Constitution as a priority in NDP 12 and expand specialised courts in an effort to not only strengthen the Rule of Law but also bridge the gaps in the justice system.
Ms Mophuting said establishing specialised courts for GBV, criminal and commercial crimes would enhance case disposal and address the backlog faced by the courts “For public safety and protection, we will establish holistic GBV support through One-stop-service centres, fast-track development and implement the National Security Strategy, as well as modernise our internal security apparatus,” she noted.
Furthermore, she said plans were underway to digitalise the justice system to effectively expedite court processes. The use of modern technology in the justice system would also assist with accurate statistics and inform decision making. Premised on the theme: Re-Establishing Faith in Government, the sector further aims at strengthening border security and integrating digital systems in crime prevention and policing. She said government was committed to enhancing rehabilitation and re-integration programmes for offenders.
Ms Mophuting said improving surveillance and monitoring at ungazetted points of entry, establishing cyber security and illegal mining frameworks would also form part of their response strategy for NDP 12.
Additionally, Ms Mophuting said the sector would promote participatory democracy and institute legislative reforms to integrate traditional governance structures with modern systems.
She said instruments such as Parliament Act, Electoral Act and Ntlo ya Dikgosi Rules and Procedures would be targeted by these reforms. “We will proactively engage civil society and youth to integrate our traditional Kgotla system alongside modern mechanisms for wider citizen engagement,” she said.
To enhance transparency and accountability, she said government was committed to promoting Parliament independence and strengthening anti-corruption measures.
She said public institutions would be transparent and held accountable through enhancing evaluation systems and promoting civil society participation in their governance.
“Furthermore, we will strengthen monitoring and evaluation frameworks, enhance civil society participation in oversight and expand ICT – enabled governance tools to ensure that public institutions are transparent, efficient and accountable,” she noted.
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