Report on Violence Against Children Survey (VACS)/ National Survey on Life Experiences and Risk of HIV Infection Among 13-24 Year Old Males and Females in Botswana
REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development through the Department of Social Protection is responsible for the protection of children from all forms of exploitation. This is implemented through the Children’s Act 2009, the parent child protection legislative document, which also domesticated the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF KEY ACRONYMS ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… v
FOREWORD ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ix
LIST OF FIGURES …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..xi
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 13 1.1 KEY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS…………………………………………………………………………………..15 2. INTRODUCTION ...... 17 3. METHODOLOGY OF THE VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN SURVEY ...... 22 4. BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUTH ...... 34 5. CHILDHOOD SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND EXPLOITATION: PREVALENCE, PERPETRATORS, AND SERVICE SEEKING ...... 36 6. CHILDHOOD PHYSICAL VIOLENCE: PREVALENCE, PERPETRATORS, AND SERVICE- SEEKING ...... 45 7. CHILDHOOD EMOTIONAL VIOLENCE BY PARENTS, ADULT CAREGIVERS, AND OTHER ADULT RELATIVES: PREVALENCE AND PERPETRATORS ...... 55 8. OVERLAP OF TYPES OF VIOLENCE: SEXUAL, PHYSICAL, AND EMOTIONAL VIOLENCE ... 57 9. HEALTH CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH SEXUAL, PHYSICAL, AND EMOTIONAL VIOLENCE ...... 59 10. SEXUAL RISK-TAKING BEHAVIORS AND EXPOSURE TO VIOLENCE IN CHILDHOOD ...... 62 11. HIV/AIDS TESTING KNOWLEDGE, BEHAVIORS, AND SELF-REPORTED STATUS AND EXPERIENCES WITH CHILDHOOD SEXUAL VIOLENCE ...... 64 12. BELIEFS ABOUT GENDER AND VIOLENCE, AND VIOLENCE PERPETRATION ...... 67 13. VIOLENCE AGAINST FEMALES BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 73 14 DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 75
APPENDIX A: CONTRIBUTORS ...... 85 APPENDIX B: WEIGHTING PROCEDURES AND QUALITY ASSURANCE ...... 88 APPENDIX C: BOTSWANA VACS DATA TABLES ...... 88
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LIST OF KEY ACRONYMS
Ad Health National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
BAIS Botswana AIDS Impact Survey
BSS HIV/AIDS/STD Behavioral Surveillance Surveys
CSOs Civil Society Organizations
CDC United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
DHS Demographic and Health Survey
EAs Enumeration Areas
HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus
MLG&RD Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development
PEPFAR United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
PSUs Primary Sampling Units
STIs Sexually Transmitted Infections
TWG Technical Working Group
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
USAID United States Agency for International Development
VACS Violence Against Children Surveys
WHO World Health Organization
YRBS Youth Risk Behavior Survey
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Foreword
Violence is a global phenomenon which affects children across the world annually. Its effects are multi- pronged, ranging from physical injuries to mental health and risk behaviours. Botswana as a member of the international community continues to record disturbing trends of violence against children.
The Violence Against Children Survey (VACS), commissioned to explore the magnitude and nature of violence against