Africa-Press – Botswana. The worsening malnutrition rate in Letlhakane District has been linked to irregular supply of food commodities at health facilities.
District officer-development, Ms Bianca Moswela, informed a full council meeting on Monday that the inconsistent food supply had contributed to rising malnutrition statistics among children under five, which now surpassed the national target of 3.0 per cent to reaching 7.0 per cent this quarter.
Ms Moswela noted that some health facilities received food that was spoiled and that hampered efforts to combat malnutrition in young children.
The spoiled food was confiscated, but had not yet been replaced, and all affected children with acute malnutrition have been referred to Social and Community Development (S&CD) for assistance, Ms Moswela explained.
Regarding teenage pregnancies, Ms Moswela reported that 53 teenagers were registered as pregnant in Letlhakeng this quarter, an increase from 38 in the previous quarter.
She reported that two were under 15-year-olds registered at the Letlhakeng clinic, and the cases had not yet been referred to the appropriate authorities.
Among the 53 cases for those aged 15-19, 18 were from Letlhakeng clinic, Salajwe nine, Takatokwane six, Moshaweng four, three each from Khudumelapye, Ditshegwane, Serinane, Maboane, and two cases each from Motokwe and Diphuduhudu.
This, Ms Moswela said called for an urgent need to improve health education, explaining that for the 15-19 age group, the District Health Management Team had been directed to separate children aged 18 and under and refer them to relevant stakeholders for further management, as they were considered victims of defilement.
She urged parents to closely monitor their children’s movements, especially girls who were often vulnerable to rape and defilement, and to report any suspicious activities.
Ms Moswela appealed to parents to care for their children and comply with the Children’s Act, 2009 nothing that there currently were 114 ongoing defilement cases, an increase from 111 in the previous quarter.
She conveyed the District Development Committee’s recommendation to the full Council, urging the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services to expedite the processing of cases related to Gender-Based Violence and defilement as well as other violent cases against children, to address the rising number of such incidents and ensure timely justice.
Under Tribal Administration, there are 174 pending criminal cases and 189 civil cases. The small number of cases attended to was attributed to shortage of prosecutors and the involvement of presiding officers in community activities.
Source: dailtnews
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
