MOTHER IN COURT FOR CONCEALING DEFILEMENT
A 45-year-old Thamaga woman has pleaded guilty in court to an offence of failure to report child abuse.
According to Thamaga Station Commander, Superintendent Moses Kwarare, the offence carries a minimum sentence of a P10,000 fine and a maximum of a P30,000 fine or an imprisonment for a term not less than two years but not more than three or both.
Particulars of the offence indicate that sometime in January 2022 in Thamaga village, being aware that her minor child - aged 17 - was sexually abused, without reasonable excuse, the accused woman failed to report a case of child abuse to the relevant authorities.
The woman, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, was called by the guidance and counselling teacher at school to inform her of suspicions that her daughter was pregnant.
She then took the child to the clinic for medical examination and it was confirmed to her by the health practitioners that the 17-year-old Form 4 schoolgirl was seven months pregnant.
Superintendent Kwarare revealed that the girl’s mother failed to report the matter to the police and decided to go back to Mogoditshane where she works as a house helper instead.
“The concerned teachers then alerted the police on February 28th, 2022 and a case was opened against the mother,” explained the police boss.
In an interview, the girl revealed that she was impregnated by a 37-year-old man.
Superintendent Kwarare said they investigated the matter and arrested a certain Thamaga man, who was later released from police custody after questioning.
Police will wait for the girl to recover from a miscarriage before taking the boyfriend before court to be arraigned for an offence of defilement.
However, after the mother admitted guilt, the prosecutor, Sergeant Modise Masala, pleaded with the court to set another date for facts presentation.
The presiding magistrate, Kefilwe Resheng, ordered that the accused woman, who is on bail, be fingerprinted and the record be availed in court during the next sitting scheduled for May 24th, 2022.
Meanwhile, the Botswana Police Service (BPS) is concerned by unreported cases of defilement that continue to rise despite numerous efforts by the organisation to educate members of the public about the recent Police Child Friendly Service Centre in Gaborone.
According to a media release issued on Tuesday by BPS Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commissioner Dipheko Motube, a total of 24 cases of defilement have been referred to BPS by Princess Marina Hospital.
“Between November 2021 and March 17th, 2022, the hospital delivered children born of teenage mothers aged between 15 and 17. Preliminary investigations have revealed that 20 of the 24 incidents that occurred in greater Gaborone were not reported to the police. The overall statistics indicate that the BPS registered 2,033 cases of defilement of persons under the age of 18 for the year 2021 as compared to 1,825 cases reported in 2020,” the release has stated.
Any person guilty and convicted of an offence of defilement is sentenced to a minimum term of 10 years or a maximum term of life imprisonment.