Sex education for ‘disabled’
They are 3-6 times more likely to be sexually abused
Botswana Council for the Disabled (BCD) attended a UNESCO regional training conference from the 3rd to 5th October in Kenya under the theme ‘empowering young people on issues of sexual education’.
BCD Director, Moffat Louis says BCD will administer training from early next year on how to teach students living with disability about sexual education. The training will be offered to special education teachers and other NGOs that work with disabled persons.
Louis explains that they want to create a pool of people that can teach stakeholders in Botswana how to teach sexual education to those in the disability community.
He admits that it may take longer for other learners to grasp what they are being taught because persons living with disability are taught on an individual basis.
His hope is to work with the Ministries of Health and Education, alongside the police as key stakeholders in making the nation a safer place for all.
“If for example, a nurse and teacher can identify where abuse is taking place, they can take it forward to the relevant authorities and see to it that a learner gets help.”
The training in Kenya included training of curriculum developers, pre and inservice teachers, as well as special needs teachers on how to administer sexual education to people living with disability.
He added that sexual education among people living with disability in Botswana is a taboo topic, which opens a door for abuse because even if someone sees it they keep quiet.
Louis noted that a research done by USAID in Botswana showed that women living with disability are three to six times more likely to experience sexual abuse depending on where they live.
Louis said the painful part is that those with cognitive challenges don’t understand that they are being abused, thereby creating a continuous cycle of unreported sexual abuse.
Louis lamented that some cases don’t make it to court because some members of the disabled community cannot adequately explain the abuse they suffered.
Family dynamics also make it even harder as some are abused by those that provide for the families.