Activists call for Amon�s resignation
Baboki Kayawe | Tuesday May 10, 2016 11:34
Not only is the group agitating for the immediate resignation of Amon, but also the assistant minister of education and skills development, Fidelis Molao, whose name is mentioned in an online conversation allegedly over the girl’s pregnancy.
Molao has since distanced himself from the alleged online conversation between himself and Amon that first broke out on Facebook platforms, saying his account was hacked.
Moreover, the activists, led by Tumie Mohoasa, founder of a Facebook group Women and Men against ALL SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN are lobbying for accountability from the leaders. The group met on Sunday on the occasion of Mother’s Day, where a mass demonstration was unanimously adopted for next Saturday.
Mohoasa said in an interview that leaders should spearhead the fight to protect children. “A situation where we now have leaders being the ones implicated in such acts calls for those leaders to step down, or be removed from their positions if they do not, whilst investigations go on,” Mohoasa said.
“This issue is too sensitive and calls for no less than vacation of their positions,” she added.
Furthermore, the social activists say government departments mandated to protect children must carry out their work diligently as well as account to the nation on what they have done in the ‘face of the pregnant child’.
“We would like to see arms of government speak out and act to bring those responsible to book.”
Commenting on the FB page Bandi Rantao Mogapi said, “We will march forward to stop this rot in our communities. If the mother of the child at the centre of this issue has no interest in reporting the matter, we will fight for her child and all the other children who may be going through the same thing. I don’t plan to forget about this, you shouldn’t either. We will talk and march until something changes”.
Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA) has condemned in the strongest terms the Sebina incident.
Programmes director, Felistus Motimedi said as an advocacy entity, they condemn such behaviour by any person regardless of their social, economic or political status. “The law is clear, the Penal Code spells out that defilement is when a sexual act happens with a person below the age of 16, but the Children’s Act takes superiority over it. This is a pure case of defilement since the act defines a child as a person under the age of 18, and the victim in this case is under 18,” Motimedi said.
“We hope that the law will take its course. It is very clear an offence has been committed,” she said.
She added that it is clear an offence has been committed, therefore, as a leader, Amon must uphold the legislation. Furthermore, she advocated for Section 25 of the Children’s Act to take course, which dictates that; “Any parent, guardian, teacher or other person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to report a case of child abuse or exploitation of which he or she is aware shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of not less than P10,000, but not more than P30,000, or to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years, but not more than three years, or both”. At the moment BONELA is doing its own investigation to see how best to assist the 17-year-old victim.