Botswana – Universal Periodic Review

Session reviewed: 43rd session of the Universal Periodic Review

Date reviewed: May 3, 2023

Canada welcomes the positive steps taken by Botswana to promote and protect human rights, particularly the government’s commitment to uphold a court ruling decriminalizing same-sex relationships.

Canada recommends that Botswana:

• Take measures to prevent all forms of sexual and gender-based violence, including by criminalizing marital rape, investigating and prosecuting all acts of sexual violence and providing training to law enforcement officials on victim and survivor-centered handling of cases of sexual and gender-based violence.
• Repeal the death penalty and consider a moratorium on its application pending its complete abolition.
• Protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons from discrimination by including sexual orientation and gender identity as grounds of non-discrimination in the Constitution.
• Protect the right of Indigenous Peoples to the lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied, used or acquired; protect Indigenous Peoples from delocalization threats; and provide access to quality education and timely public services.

Canada welcomes the progress made by the Government of Botswana since Botswana’s last UPR, and encourages it to accede to those international human rights treaties to which it is not yet party.