The United Nations is set to investigate the sale, trafficking, sexual exploitation and abuse of children in Botswana during a high-level country visit scheduled for next month. The move comes in the wake of growing international concern over violations of children’s rights in the country.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, Ai Kihara-Hunt, will conduct an official visit to Botswana from December 1 to 10, 2026. The visst is aimed at assessing the country’s efforts to prevent and combat child exploitation and establish whether its child protection systems are adequately safeguarding vulnerable children.
The visit will be the first country mission by Kihara-Hunt since she assumed the mandate in May this year. In preparation for the mission, the Special Rapporteur has invited civil society organisations, human rights activists, academics and other interested individuals to submit information on the scale and nature of child exploitation in Botswana. Submissions must be made by November 24, 2026.
The investigation will examine a wide range of abuses, including the sale of children for forced labour, domestic servitude, begging, criminal activities, marriage, adoption and sexual exploitation.
The investigation will examine a wide range of abuses, including the sale of children for forced labour, domestic servitude, begging, criminal activities, marriage, adoption and sexual exploitation.
Particular attention will also be given to child trafficking, the exploitation of children in travel and tourism, and the production, possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
The UN is also seeking information on the grooming and solicitation of children for sexual purposes, as well as abuses occurring within business operations and supply chains, including the extractive and mining sectors.
The scope of the investigation raises questions about the protection of children in commercial environments and whether existing safeguards are sufficient to prevent their exploitation.
Kihara-Hunt is interested in the experiences of children facing heightened vulnerability, including those living in poverty, remote and rural communities, migrant and refugee children, children with disabilities, street-connected children, those in alternative care and Indigenous children.
The UN says country visits are conducted in cooperation with the governments concerned and are intended to establish a clearer understanding of human rights challenges while assessing measures taken to protect victims.
During her stay, the Special Rapporteur intends to travel across the country and engage government representatives, civil society organisations, youth-led organisations and children to obtain first-hand accounts of the challenges confronting child protection in Botswana.
The UN says country visits are conducted in cooperation with the governments concerned and are intended to establish a clearer understanding of human rights challenges while assessing measures taken to protect victims.
At the conclusion of the mission, Kihara-Hunt will brief government officials on her preliminary findings and hold a press conference to inform the public about her observations.
The findings are expected to form the basis of a comprehensive report containing conclusions and recommendations to the Botswana Government.
The report will be presented to the 67th session of the UN Human Rights Council in March 2028. The UN says the recommendations are expected to provide guidance on strengthening national child protection systems, preventing exploitation and ensuring that children who have suffered abuse receive appropriate protection.
