Botswana: Child protection and welfare in Botswana

The article examines the scale of child vulnerability in Botswana, where large numbers of children live without parental care due largely to the long-term impact of HIV/AIDS and persistent poverty. It outlines how thousands of children experience deprivation, limited access to education and inadequate living conditions, placing sustained pressure on the country’s child welfare system.

The story explains how Botswana’s Children’s Act of 2009 governs the placement of children into residential care, emphasising that institutionalisation should be a last resort. While short‑term and long‑term care centres provide protection and stability, many facilities face chronic under‑resourcing, worsened by declining donations following the COVID‑19 pandemic.

Child welfare practitioners and civil society actors argue that institutional care alone cannot meet children’s long‑term needs. The article highlights call for stronger foster care systems, revised adoption laws and increased investment in social workers to ensure children grow up in safe, supportive family environments rather than prolonged institutional care.

LINK TO PUBLISHED STORY: https://weekendpost.co.bw/the-overlooked-crisis-in-botswanas-child-care-centres/

This article, first published by Weekend Post, is part of the Media Parity Capacity Building and republished as part of the programme series.