Challenges faced in the implementation of provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in Botswana

Abstract

Children tend to be among the most vulnerable cohorts of the population in any given society. Consequently, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) adopted in 1989 by member states of the United Nations aims to protect them. While several conventions have been crafted for various target groups, the CRC is the only convention that has been ratified by almost all the countries of the world. The paper contends that although Botswana has made enormous progress in implementing the CRC, the country has had to grapple with numerous challenges that continue to impede the successful implementation of the provisions of the said Convention. The purpose of this paper is essentially three-fold. First, it highlights progress that Botswana has made in implementing the provisions of the Convention. Second, it analyses the challenges that have been faced by stakeholders in implementing the provisions of the Convention in the country. And lastly, the paper concludes by making a number of recommendations meant to help in charting the way forward.

KEYWORDS: Convention, rights, United Nations, Botswana, children, stakeholders