Botswana: Human rights

Updated January 2002

The Republic of Botswana has ratified the following international human rights treaties:

• The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination adopted by the General Assembly on 21 December 1965 and entered into force on 4 January 1969 (CERD).
• The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted by the General Assembly on 16 December 1966 and entered into force on 23 March 1976 (ICCPR).
• The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women adopted by the General Assembly on 18 December 1979 and entered into force on 3 September 1981 (CEDAW).
• The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) adopted by the General Assembly on 20 November 1989 and entered into force on 2 September 1990.

On 8 September 2000, the Republic of Botswana ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), opened for signature, ratification and accession on 4 February 1985, adopted by the General Assembly on 10 December 1984, and entered into force on 26 June 1987.

On 8 September 2000, the Republic of Botswana also ratified International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), but as of 8 January 2002, it still failed to ratify the First and Second Optional Protocol to the Covenant. The First Optional Protocol to the Covenant provides for the confidential consideration of communications from individuals who claim to be victims of a violation of any of the rights proclaimed in the Covenant. The Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant aims at the abolition of the death penalty and entered into force on 11 July 1991.

On 14 March 1995, the Republic of Botswana ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), but as of 8 January 2002, it still failed to ratify the two Optional Protocols to the Convention (CRC-OP) on the involvement of children in armed conflict and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. Similarly, it has failed to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW-OP), to which it became a party on 13 August 1996.

In addition, as of 8 January 2002, the Republic of Botswana has not ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) adopted by the General Assembly on 16 December 1966 and entered into force on 3 January 1976 and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (MWC), which was adopted by the General Assembly in 1990.