Police used unnecessary and excessive force against demonstrators protesting a bill to grant excessive presidential powers. Persistent drought increased the threat of food insecurity. Religious groups opposed draft amendments which proposed to protect LGBTI people’s rights. Gender-based violence continued to rise. The UN urged the government to address environmental challenges, including access to water. Botswana continued to sentence people to death.

Background

The opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) party ousted the Botswana Democratic Party from its 58-year rule in the October general elections. Political analysts linked the UDC’s success to rising corruption, declining health and education standards, and depleted public funds under the previous administration.

Freedom of peaceful assembly

In September, protests erupted outside the National Assembly as parliament debated a bill that sought to grant the president sweeping powers to appoint key civil servants. Opposition members boycotted the vote, and police used unnecessary and excessive force against people protesting the bill, injuring several of them. Civil society groups condemned the violence. The bill failed to pass due to insufficient parliamentary support.

Right to food

In June, then-president Masisi declared 2023-2024 an “extreme agricultural drought year”, raising urgent concerns over food security. In May, a report by the Rural Development Secretariat, an official body, highlighted the devastating effects of drought on food production, water supplies and nutrition. Crop yields dropped from 206,572 tons in 2021-22 to 125,184 tons in 2022-23, leaving 163,000 people food insecure. The situation was exacerbated by the El Niño effect, leading to a severe lack of rain and worsening harvests, putting a further 37,000 people at greater risk of hunger.

LGBTI people’s rights

In March, the government introduced a constitutional amendment bill that included protections against discrimination for intersex people and persons with disabilities. The bill was opposed, particularly by religious groups like the Evangelical Fellowship of Botswana (EFB), who objected to the inclusion of intersex rights, citing concerns over “morality and the erosion of Christian values”. The EFB called for a national referendum on the issue.

Gender-based violence

Gender-based violence remained widespread and continued to rise. WoMen Against Rape, a human rights organization fighting against gender-based violence, reported an increase in cases from 2023 and gaps in legal protection, including the absence of legislation outlawing marital rape. In June, the UN Population Fund identified violence against women as a major public health concern in Botswana. In September, Tonota District Council reported a rise in sexual abuse cases. The police service recorded 47 threats to kill, 25 murders, 30 sexual abuse cases, and 93 rapes and attempted rapes against women over the Christmas holiday period.

Right to a healthy environment

In March, following a visit to the country, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a healthy environment urged Botswana to address environmental challenges including pollution, the climate crisis and access to water. He recommended legal recognition of the right to a healthy environment, and the advancement of renewable energy.

Death penalty

Botswana continued to sentence people to death. There were no executions.