The surveyors also acknowledged that many of the students did not admit to sexual activity out of fear for their reputations. There were even instances where students who said they were not sexually active contradicted themselves by saying they always use a condom. Metlhaetsile launched the report to jump start their campaign against the sexual abuse of children which will include billboards, brochures and informational workshops to accompany the work that the drama group is currently doing in schools around the country. Metlhaetsile held an informational dinner 31st October at the Grand Palm to encourage stakeholders to get involved in the fight against sexual abuse. Barclay's Bank donated Pula 100,000 in start up funds, and they are hoping to get more to possibly fund a national study that will address every aspect of the issue.
Poverty plays a big part.
Like kids getting gifts for sex. There was the case of a head teacher who was abusing a child and the mother knew about it, but since he gave them food, she shut her eyes to it, said Monica Tabengwa, CEO of Metlhaetsile. The fact that abuse takes different forms in different parts of the country was not lost on the surveyors. Often in rural areas, girls are offered gifts by older men - of food and uniforms where in urban areas like Gaborone, the gifts are more likely to take the form of clothing and cellular phones. They also acknowledged that a study needs to take place among 17-19 year olds for whom sexual activity is far more prevalent, especially with grown men.