MORALITY

Morality is the idea or sense of right and wrong or good and bad
Morality is often associated with human behavior and conduct. Human
behavior can be seen as acceptable or unacceptable, depending on the
views of the people concerned.

ASPECTS OF MORALITY
Aspects of morality deals with human interactions. They address our
actions, thoughts, ideals and principles. Actions or decisions can be divided
into three moral categories or aspects.

1. MORAL ACTION
Moral action refers to behavior or conduct or character which is regarded
as right or good. They are decisions or actions that are believed to be right
and acceptable.

EXAMPLES

a) Respecting other people

b) Greeting elders
c) Obeying rules and people in authority
d) Sharing what you have with others

2. IMMORAL ACTION

Immoral action refers to behaviour, conduct or character which is viewed

and regarded as wrong. These are decisions or actions that go against a
person or society’s values and are believed to be wrong and unacceptable

EXAMPLES

a) Cheating in examination
b) Stealing
c) Telling lies
d) Killing other people

3. AMORAL ACTION

Amoral action means behaviour, conduct or character which shows no

understanding of right and wrong.

EXAMPLES

a) A baby tearing up a magazine

b) A mentally ill person walking naked
c) A donkey sleeping in the middle of the road

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SOURCES OF MORALITY

A source is a place or a person from which can get something. E.g. a

teacher can be a source of knowledge. The knowledge of right and wrong is
guided and influenced by a number of factors.

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These include religion, philosophy etc. most of our principles and standards
of behaviour come from religion and philosophy.

RELIGION AS A SOURCE OF MORALITY

Religion is a belief system such as Christianity, Islam or African Traditional

Religion. Religion can greatly influence the way in which we behave
because whatever one does depends on his /her beliefs and the things they
think are important.

Most religions have a moral code or a list of rules or commandments by

which their members should live. Individuals who are followers of a
particular religion do their best to respect and obey the rules of their
religion. E.g.

1. CHRISTIANITY

Moral code for Christianity is known as the Ten Commandments. E.g.

Thou shall not kill, Thou shall not steal, and Thou shall not commit adultery

The above commandments influence the lifestyle of Christians. Their

behavior is judged accordance to these standards or principles.

2. BOTSWANA TRADITIONAL RELIGION (B.T.R)

The teachings of BTR are based on the appeasement of the ancestors or

badimo. The behavior of the followers is guided by the happiness of the
ancestors and avoidance of taboos (meila) it is believed that if the ancestors
are unhappy they could punish by bringing drought, diseases or heavy
rainfall.

3. ISLAM
The moral code of Islam is based on the sharia law. The law states the
standard of behavior to govern the Muslims on how to live and how
wrongdoers should be punished. The following are strictly forbidden
Gambling, Sex before marriage, Adultery, Stealing Murder etc

A woman who commits adultery or has sex before marriage is usually

sentenced to death through stoning. Thus Muslims live a morally upright
live in fear of punishment

PHILOSOPHY AS A SOURCE OF MORALITY

Philosophy is the study of nature and meaning of existence. It tries to

explain the meaning of our existence and nature and how we relate with our
environment. There are a number of theories which try to justify our
conduct and behaviour.eg

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 a) KANTIEN ETHICS- (RARU PRINCIPLE)

According to Emmanuel Kant actions are good when people do them for a
good reason. The good of an action does not depend on its results instead it
depends on the intention of the person performing the action.
Immanuel Kant ca me up with four conditions that must be met for any
action to be accepted as a morally good action. The conditions are;

 Rationality(reasoning) ; the action should develop one’s reasoning

 Autonomy (freedom); the action should develop one’s freedom or
autonomy(self rule or independent decision)
 Respect for others; the action should develop respect for others
 Universality; the action should eliminate discrimination
All four actions should be satisfied for any act to be truly morally
acceptable, if anyone is not met, then the action is not morally good.

b) UTILITARIAN ETHICS- (the greatest good for the greatest number)

Utility is a theory which suggests that a course of an action is morally good

when it makes the majority satisfied. This principle simply means that if any
action is preferred by the majority then such an action is good and morally
acceptable

For example, if majority of learners in a class are more alert and get better
results in Maths when they are taught outdoors, then having lessons outside
the classrooms can be seen as good and morally acceptable.

THE NEED FOR MORALITY IN THE SOCIETY

 Morality guides the way people in the society behave and interact
with one another- it helps people to see the difference between right
and wrong, good and bad
 Morality helps people to make responsible choices and act in a
responsible way

 Morality helps people to live together in peace and harmony- it helps

the members of a society to respect each other and gives them a
sense of belonging and security

 Morality helps society to punish wrong doing and reward right

actions- most people in a society do not want to be punished and
therefore do their best to avoid breaking the laws of the society

 Morality makes sure that individuals in a society are treated fairly

and that there is justice for all in that society

VALUES

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Values are the beliefs and ways of behaving that a person or a group of
people such as a family or a community, consider important to them.

TYPES OF VALUES

1. PERSONAL VALUES
Personal values are ideas, principles or things that a person believes are
important to him or her. E.g. a person may value education and marriage.

2. MORAL VALUES
-Moral values are standards or ides of right and wrong and good and
bad that govern people’s behavior and choices.
 Moral values are those principles that people believe to be important
for themselves and for all the people in their community. For example
-justice kindness
Generosity politeness
Cooperation empathy
Respect generosity
Sharing

3. CULTURAL VALUES

Cultural values are ideas principles or things that a group of people or

particular culture thinks are important to them.
-they are the believes and the behaviours that give us a sense of where we
come from and where we belong. They make us feel connected to a larger
community of people with similar backgrounds. Cultural values can be
material and non material, e.g. Tolerance, respect, peace etc.

4. AESTHETIC VALUES
They are the values that are concerned with beauty and the study of art.
They include the desire for beauty and the conservation of the surrounding
in which people live. People may value things like
- planting trees
- conserving wildlife
- environmental sustainability

WAYS IN WHICH VALUES AFFECT BEHAVIOUR

1. Values guide our behaviour and thinking

 Values shows us what is considered good or bad behaviour. E.g. in
Botswana when one attends a funeral one is expected to wear dark
clothing and to appear sad. This is to show respect and support to the
bereaved family.

2. Values help people to focus on their lives and give their lives a sense
of direction

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 - Values help people to concentrate or put more effort on those things or
areas they consider important to them. E.g. a student who values
education will focus his or her effort and time on education and learning
instead of nice time or leisure time.

5. Values influence the decisions people make and the rules tat they set
for themselves, either as individuals or as a society.
The decisions that people make are usually meant to help them achieve
what they want. E.g. a student who wants to pass his/her examinations
may decide to stop participating in sports until after the examinations so
that she can prepare better for the examinations

6. values show us what is important to an individual or society

E.g. people choose jobs on the basis of their values. If one values wealth
she will choose a job that pays well, but when one values helping others
they may decide to become a social worker or medical doctor.

IMPORTANCE OF MORAL VALUES

i) Moral values are one of the things that make us human. We are
able to understand the difference between right and wrong, having
moral values distinguishes us from other animals.
ii) Moral values are important because they influence the way we do
things. Values shape our lives and the way we conduct ourselves.
Whenever we make a moral decision we have to take our moral
values into account.
iii) Values give meaning to the things we do. - e.g. working hard for
the good of the community makes us feel as if we are making an
important contribution to our society and to the nation of
Botswana. This gives us a sense of purpose.

iv) Our moral value allows us to lead a better life and a truly happy
life. We will not be truly happy when we do bad things. We become
truly happy when we do good things that are morally acceptable.

v) Sharing the same good moral values as other people gives us a

sense of belonging- when one cares about being a member of a
group, say a family or choir- one will respect all the group rules so
that one becomes loyal and accepted by other group members.

LEVELS AT WHICH MORAL VALUES CAN BE APPLIED

The personal level. Personal moral values are held by individual persons.

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The social level. Social moral values are held by the whole community or
nation
The global level. Global moral values are held by all the nations of the
world

MORAL PERSONAL SOCIAL GLOBAL

VALUE LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL
RESPECT I............ WE.............. Botswana........
.

COOPERATIO
N

KINDNESS

DECISION MAKING

 A decision is a choice that one makes between two or more

alternatives.
 The act of reaching a conclusion or making up one’s mind about
something
 Decision making is a process of making a choice between two or more
solutions to a problem

TYPES OF DECISIONS

ROUTINE DECISION (SIMPLE)

They are easy to make- they require less thinking, and their consequences
are usually short lived and not serious, e.g. what to wear
Which novel to read
MAJOR DECISION (COMPLEX)

They are difficult to make- they require more thought and their
consequences are usually serious and longer lasting. E.g. choosing a career
Deciding whether or not to resign from work

SKILLS NEEDED IN GOOD DECISION MAKING

Critical thinking skills- questioning the information you have to

determine if the information is correct
Creative thinking skills- involve applying knowledge you have gained in
one situation to a different situation

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Problem solving skills- involve looking at an undesirable situation and
finding ways of solving or improving the situation

Interpersonal skills- involve relating to people without hurting them such

as making decisions after consulting the people involved to avoid upsetting
them.

THE PROCESS OF DECISION MAKING

STEP 1.Identify and define the problem

 know exactly what the problem is and what it involves

STEP 2. Collect information

-find the information about the problem from various sources, e.g. books,
friends or parents

STEP 3. Identify possible solutions

 come up with different possible solutions

STEP 4. Examine each alternative

 Asses each possible solution looking at short and long term
consequences of the action. consider and compare the advantage and
disadvantages of each option

STEP 5. Select the best option

 Choose the best possible solution after having looked at all the
possible options and their disadvantages and advantages.

STEP 6. Act on the chosen solution

 act on the chosen decision

MORAL DILEMMAS

A moral dilemma is a situation where two or more of our moral values are in
conflict
A moral dilemma is a situation in which you are forced to make a choice
between two or more things that are equally balanced.

EXAMPLES OF MORAL DILEMMAS

1. Lye’s Mother and Father are not well. They both need a kidney donor
for them to survive. All the relatives and friends are not compatible
donors. Lye is the only one who is compatible to both of them and is
willing to donate the kidney. He is faced with a moral dilemma
because he loves both his parents and does not know who to save. He
has o choose one and if he chooses one, the other one, would die.

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 2. I went with a friend to the shops to buy some sweets. While paying I
saw my friend stealing a pen and putting it in his pocket and the
shopkeeper did not see him. I did not know what to do whether to
report my friend or not.

Conflicting values

Loyalty to the friend

Respect for the law

3. Mary is a form one student. She has just found out that she is
pregnant. She comes to you seeking for help if she should commit
abortion or drop out of school, she wants both the baby and to
continue with her schooling. What should Mary do?

Conflicting values
Respect for the life of the child
Right to education

JUSTIFYING DECISION MADE IN RESOLVING MORAL DILEMMAS

When making a decision when faced with a moral dilemma, you must be
able to justify your decision. This means you must be able to give reasons
why you made a particular decision and not the other and why the choice
could not have been avoided
When we justify decisions or give reasons for our decision in a moral
dilemma we should be able to say;
 We made a well informed decision
 We were aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the decision
that we made
 We knew the consequences of our decision
 We were aware that we were violating some of our moral values in
favour of one
 No one forced us to make the decision. we chose what to do

WAYS IN WHICH DECISION MAKING CAN BE USED IN SOLVING

PROBLEMS

The following is an example of how you can use the decision making
to solve a problem

STEP1. IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM

Thabo identifies his problems. he is not doing well in mathematics although
he spends most of his time studying this subject.

STEP 2. COLLECT RELEVANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE

PROBLEM

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He asks friends, parents and teachers to suggest ways in which he can solve
his problem .he also searches the internet for information on how to study
mathematics

STEP 3. IDENTIFY POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM

He identifies the following possible solutions
 Ignore mathematics and focus on the subjects he is good at
 Ask the mathematics teacher for extra lessons
 Ask his friends who are good at mathematics to help him

STEP 4. EXAMINE EACH POSSIBLE SOLUTION

 Ignore mathematics and focus on subjects he is good at
 ADVANTAGES- he does not have to worry about his poor results in
mathematics
 DISADVANTAGES- he will still get poor mark in mathematics which
will lower his overall grade.
 Ask the mathematics teacher for extra lessons
-Advantages- he will have the teacher to himself so he could ask as
many questions as he likes. The teacher will give him all the help he
needs .his marks are likely to improve which will improve his overall
grade.
Disadvantage- he will have to come to school on Saturdays for extra
lessons

STEP 5. CHOOSE THE BEST SOLUTION

 Thabo decides to ask the teacher for extra lessons because this
solution has more advantages than disadvantages.

STEP 6. ACT ON THE CHOSEN SOLUTION

- Thabo asks the teacher for extra lesson

PROBLEMS CAUSED BY CONFLICTING MORAL VALUES

 INDECISION- you cannot make up your mind about what to do.

 Most of the alternatives seem right or most of them seem wrong
 You cannot make a perfect choice
 You do not want to go against any of your moral values- whatever you
choose feels wrong
 You are afraid of the consequences of your decision, because the
alternative you eventually choose may not turn out to be the best

SELF CONCEPT

 Self concept is the mental image one has of oneself

 Self concept means what you know and understand about yourself. It
is how an individual thinks about and sees himself or herself

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE CHARACTERISTICS

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CHARACTERISTICS- are the qualities or features that are unique or
special to an individual. They can describe and identify the kind of person
the individual is.

POSITIVE CHARACTERISTICS- are the good things about you. They are
your strengths .they are desirable features or qualities that make you like
yourself and that people admire about you. They are also called virtues.

NEGATIVE CHARACTERISTICS- are the undesirable qualities that you

dislike about yourself and that others may dislike about you. They are your
weaknesses. They are also called vices.

POSITIVE NEGATIVE
CHARACTERISTICS(virt CHARACTERISTICS
ues)

Honesty Laziness
Kindness Selfishness
Generosity Carelessness
Courage Cowardice
Respectful Stubborn
Patience Dishonesty
Caring Aggressiveness
considerate Cruelty
humble Impatience
understanding Being unfriendly

JUSTIFYING THE NEED TO IMPROVE POSITIVE CHARACTERISTICS

 Our positive characteristics are the foundation of good or moral

behaviour. When we improve our positive characteristics we improve
our behaviour and earn the respect of others.
 Improving our positive characteristics leads to higher self confidence
and self esteem. We will believe in ourselves and our ability to achieve
our goals in life. We will feel good about ourselves.
 Our positive characteristics help us to get well along with other
people
 We can become role models for other young people

THE NEED TO OVERCOME NEGATIVE CHARACTERISTICS

We need to overcome our negative characteristics because it will;
 Help us to get well along with others. -e.g. most people do not like
aggressive people. if we change our aggression and become friendly
and assertive we are likely to make friends

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  Allow us to do our best e.g. a lazy disorganized student cannot study
properly, so he or she will get poor results ,if this student stops being
lazy and becomes more organized, his or her performance will
probably improve
 Help us to have a healthy self concept, self doubt will be replaced by
self confidence self belief
 Help us to behave in moral ways e.g. you will be less likely to break
family rules and school rules.

WAYS OF OVERCOMING NEGATIVE CHARACTERISTICS

 Be true to yourself; let your values guide your behaviour. Do not

choose to behave in bad ways for the sake of popularity’s sake or
acceptance by your friends
 Chooses someone who has many positive characteristics and is a good
role model; try to behave and act like your chosen role model
 Learn and practice the skills you need to overcome your negative
characteristics. E.g. communication skills, anger management skills,
decision making skills
 Motivate yourself by talking and thinking positively. Tell yourself ‘I
can’ I will overcome my negative characteristics.
 Set realistic goals for changing your negative characteristics and act
on them
 Gather information from various sources about how you can
overcome your negative characteristics

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SELF AND OTHERS

Every person is an individual. No two people are exactly the same. Some of
the characteristics that can make us different from others are;
o Our beliefs and values
o Our self concept
o Our physical appearance
o Our abilities
o Our interests
o Our likes and dislikes
o Our ambitions and dreams for the future

ELEMENTS OF POSITIVE SELF CONCEPT

1. SELF-ESTEEM

-Self esteem means how valuable or worthy you think you are as an
individual.
- Self esteem is that feeling you have about yourself
A person can have either low or high self esteem
 High self esteem

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 People who have a high self esteem have a good or positive feeling
about themselves.
 Low self esteem
People who have low self esteem have negative feeling about
themselves

FACTORS THAT PROMOTE SELF-ESTEEM

 Respect yourself for being the unique individual you are- if you trust
and believe yourself you will build your self-esteem and be proud of
the person you are

 Self acceptance- accepting yourself can promote self esteem. Self

acceptance especially of the negative characteristics that you cannot
change means you can still feel good about yourself.

 Self appreciation- being proud of your achievements can promote

self-esteem. Take time to remember all the things you have done well
and smile.

 Praise and encouragement- being praised and encouraged by

others when you do well can promote your self esteem. e.g. when you
do well at school and your parents and teachers and friends praise
you, you will feel good.

 Self awareness- knowing your positive characteristics is good for

your self esteem because it helps you feel good about.

 Believing in yourself- you know yourself best. If you believe and

trust in yourself you will not be afraid of new challenges.

FACTORS THAT HINDER SELF ESTEEM

 Focusing on tour negative characteristics- this will make you feel

bad about yourself especially if you focus on the characteristics you
cannot change.

 Comparing yourself to others- sometimes comparing yourself to

others can make you feel bad about yourself because you do not
appreciate your unique abilities. You may end up thinking that you are
not as good as they are.

 Rejection- if one does not feel accepted in society one may feel
inferior and will end up having a low self esteem as she will not have
a sense of belonging

 Constant criticism- unhelpful negative comments or criticism of

things you cannot change can damage your self esteem. e.g. if parents

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 teachers and friends keep on making negative comments about your
abilities or physical appearance, you may feel bad about yourself

 Abuse- people who have experienced abuse in their lives will have a
low self-esteem. Abused people often blame themselves for the abuse
and let their abusers make them feel worthless.

Other factors may include the following;

 Lack of interpersonal relationships
 Not being autonomous
 Failure to accept your weaknesses
2. SELF CONFIDENCE

 It refers to a feeling of trust in one’s abilities, qualities and judgment.

 Means believing in yourself and your abilities
 A feeling of trust and certainty about something

FACTORS THAT PROMOTE SELF CONFIDENCE

 Rewarding performance- when people are praised or rewarded for

their efforts their self confidence is developed or reinforced.

 High self esteem- someone with high self esteem feels good about
himself or herself. This in turn gives him or her confidence in her
abilities and strengths

 Good experiences- good experiences such as achieving your goals,

doing very well in a test examination can help you believe in yourself.

 A positive attitude- when you have a positive attitude you are not
afraid of facing new challenges. If you do well your self confidence
grows

 Self awareness- someone who focuses on his or her positive

characteristics is likely to believe in and trust himself or herself .e.g.
if you know that you are good at football or netball you will feel
confident to join the school team

FACTORS THAT HINDER SELF CONFIDENCE

 Focusing on your negative characteristics- you will not believe on

yourself and you will doubt that you have the ability to do well

 Fear of failure or (insecurity)- this hinders self confidence because

you will not want to try new things or take up new challenges for fear
of failing or making a mistake again

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  Rejection and humiliation- being rejected and humiliated by
important people in one’s life such as parents relatives peers friends
and teachers can make one loose confidence in oneself

 Constant criticism- when someone is always rebuked, teased,

insulted or treated in a negative manner that person is likely to
become shy or withdrawn.

SELF ASSERTIVENESS
- is the ability to standup for your rights and express your thoughts and
feelings in a direct and honest way while respecting the feelings and
rights of others
- asking for what you want or speaking up for yourself when you feel
strongly that you have something to say
- is the ability to express our own views opinions and demands
confidently without fear or aggression

FACTORS THAT PROMOTE SELF ASSERTIVENESS

- Having values and principles- awareness of your values can help

you to be assertive. If you know what is important to you, you will be
able to say no when others want to violate your values

- High self esteem- it promotes assertiveness, when you feel good

about yourself you will be able to speak for yourself

- Self confidence- if you are self confident you will not be afraid to
stand up for yourself and say what you think or feel, it allows you to
behave assertively by taking responsibility for your actions

- Good communication skills- your ability to express yourself clearly

and honestly without being rude or aggressive can promote
assertiveness. Assertive communication is being able to describe the
situation or problem, saying what you feel about it and what you want
to do.

- Decision making skills- ability to make good decisions on your own

can make you assertive. You can choose to do what is in your best
interest and take responsibility for your own actions

FACTORS THAT HINDER ASSERTIVENESS

- Low self esteem- people with low self esteem are often afraid of
saying what they think or feel. They do not see themselves as people
worthy of love and respect and so they cannot stand up for their rights

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 - Lack of self confidence- if you lack self confidence others can take
advantage of you or control you for their own benefit. you do not trust
and believe in yourself

- Fear- different fears can stop you from being assertive. E.g. fear of
not being liked by others, fear of hurting others and the fear of being
called selfish. you may do something to please others, even if it is
something you did not want to do

- Socialization- in some traditional society’s young people and women

are not assertive because they have been socialized to be non-
assertive. Young people are supposed to do as they are told by adults,
women are expected to obey men

- Lack of openness- shy, passive and conservative people are in most

cases unable to express their own opinions

- Inability to accept yourself- if you are unwilling or unable to accept

your physical, mental and emotional characteristics you destroy your
spirit of self confidence, and if you do not have confidence in who you
are, you also cannot be assertive about what you want or don’t want.

SITUATIONS WHERE ONE SHOWED POSITIVE SELF CONCEPT

SHOWING SELF ASSERTIVENESS

My friends have started drinking beer. They want me to start drinking too. I
told them that I do not want to drink beer. Now they keep teasing me. They
say I am boring and do not know how to have fun. I don’t think I am boring,
I thin there are better things and healthier ways of having fun e.g. watching
television,. I have made it clear to them that no amount of teasing will make
me change my mind. Now they accept me as I am.

SHOWING SELF CONFIDENCE

Each class in your school has to make a presentation on the day of the
African child. Your class chooses you to present on children’s rights on
behalf of your class, although you know what to say, you eel anxious and
scared to stand in front of the whole school to make your presentation, you
tell yourself that you can do it and it is a good opportunity to practice
public speaking skills you were taught. You prepare your speech and ask
your class teacher to check it. On the day, you walk to the microphone and
talked confidently

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AUTONOMY

- It s the ability to act independently and govern yourself and your own
affairs
- It means to govern oneself or self rule

IMPORTANCE OF AUTONOMY

 It helps us to think for ourselves and make independent

decisions- this is important because every choice or decision that we
make shows our character or the kind of a person that we are.
 It makes us countable for our own decisions and behaviour
(accountability).- We cannot blame others for our wrong decisions or
bad behaviour. We have to take responsibility for what we have done
or what we have failed to do.
 Helps us to resist negative or bad peer pressure- negative peer
pressure is when our friends persuade or influence us to behave in
immoral ways, to break rules or laws or to do things that can harm us
and others,. It is not easy to say no to our friends unless we are able
to think and act autonomously.
 We can give reasons for our decisions and behaviour- we can
explain why we did or did not do something and why we value things
and not others
 It builds a positive self concept, high self esteem, assertiveness
and self confidence. We can be proud of who we are and what we
stand for.
 Autonomy enhances personal growth- it equips you with problem
solving skills that helps you to solve your own problems as one when
growing up he is able to identify his own weaknesses and learn from
them. This allows one to be a better person..

WAYS OF PROMOTING AUTONOMY

a) EDUCATION AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION

Lack of education and access to information can result in people being
able to make sound decisions because they do not have the necessary
information on which to act. Well educated people can make meaningful,
independent decisions as they understand contemporary moral issues.

b) RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY

Modern technology and user friendly social structures have helped a lot
of people to lead as close to normal life as possible. Visually impaired
should be taught to read braille. Hearing impaired to use sign language
to communicate, artificial limbs, wheel chairs, and crutches are also used
to enable people to be more autonomous since they do not have to rely
on others to get where they want to be

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 c) ASSERTIVENESS
If you are assertive, you can stand up for yourself and make your own
decisions. Therefore you are likely to be autonomous when you are
assertive.

d) GENDER EQUALITY
Women and men should be treated equally and given the same
opportunities in life. This will make women more independent and they
will not have to rely on men to support them.

e) ACTING ACCORDING TO OUR PERSONAL VALUES

Our values are whatever is important to us. By basing our decisions,
actions and behaviour on our values we will act autonomously

f) DEVELOPING A POSITIVE SELF CONCEPT

People who have a positive self concept have high self-esteem, are
confident and also assertive, as a result they can act autonomously with
ease

AUTONOMOUS ACTIONS

1. Nino and Dodo are good friends. They are intelligent and usually score
high marks in school. Their classmates sometimes try to influence them to
neglect their school work and to get involved in sexual relationships. They
usually reject this influence saying that education comes first and that hard
work pays in the end.

2. I think I have to take my education serious so that I can contribute

something to my country and society. No, I cannot do what my friends say. I
cannot dodge school everyday and spend the whole day drinking beer.

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 INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
- are the skills that we use to get well along with other people
-are the tactics or abilities that enable us to get on well with others.
-abilities or skills of effective communication
They include the following;
 Communication skills-
 Conflict resolution skills- conflicts between people happen all the time.
However, It is important to resolve the conflicts so that relationships are
not damaged
 Assertiveness skills- assertive action helps people have open and honest
relationships they are likely to respect and understand each other’s needs,
wants and feelings
 Courtesy- means being polite
 Respect- means having a good opinion of someone and valuing him or her
as a person
 Empathy-
 Confidentiality e.t.c

INTERPRSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
-an interpersonal relationship is an association or connection between
individuals
- An interaction or link between two or more people

People have different sorts of interpersonal relationships. For example,

 Between classmates
 Between teachers and learners
 Between brothers and sisters
 Between husbands and wife’s
 Between people in the community
 Parents and their children

WHY WE NEED TO RELATE WELL WITH OTHERS

We need to relate well with others for the following reasons

 We will have fewer conflicts with other people. When there are conflicts,
they are likely to be resolved peacefully.
 Other will accept and appreciate us
 Others willingly helps us when we ask
 We will work well with others e.g. in completing tasks as a group or team
 We will be happier so make others happier
 We will build good and lasting relationships with other people
 Helps promote peace and harmony

HOW INTERPERSONAL RELATIOSHIPS AFFECT INTERPERSONAL

RELATIONSHIPS

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There are several reasons why interpersonal skills are essential for every
relationship. People with good interpersonal skills;
 Know how to relate well with others, so less miscommunication happens
 Understand the needs of others
 Know how to approach people
 Know that people are unique
 Can promote constructive relationships that grow deeper over time
 Can balance the needs of those involved in relationships

HOW LACK OF INTERPERSONAL SKILLS AFFECT INTERPERSONAL

RELATIONSHIPS

Lack of interpersonal skills is harmful to any relationship. If people lack

interpersonal skills the following are common;
 Breakdown of relationships as people do not understand or care for each
other anymore
 Fighting, stress or lack of love in families
 People especially men being unable to understand or talk about their own
feelings and problems in relationships, and instead using physical
violence, so abuse of women and children happens
 Children can become anti-social as a result and possibly end up delinquent
 A high divorce rate and the problems that follow, especially for children
 Problems such as inequality, prejudice and stereotyping become worse
 Misunderstandings leading to conflict and emotional hurt in families,
neighborhoods and the society

THE NEED FOR EMPATHY AND RESPECT FOR OTHERS

Empathy- means the ability to put yourself in someone else’s position and
understand his or her needs and feelings.
Respect- means having a good opinion of someone and valuing him/her as a
person.

THE NEED FOR EMPATHY FOR OTHERS

 Makes us aware of the other persons feeling or situation, this helps us to

be generous, compassionate and caring because we understand the other
persons feeling or situation
 Helps us not to hurt or harm others. we will not do to others what we will
not want done to us.
 Can also help us understand other people better. We can begin to make
sense of their behaviour towards people. This helps us to respond to them
with empathy.
 Empathy opens us to our similarities, and teaches us tolerance about our
differences
 Helps us get along well and work together peacefully

THE NEED TO RESPECT OTHERS

We need to respect others because;

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  It makes them feel valued and important to us
 They are likely to show us respect
 We treat others in the way you would like to be treated
 Respect promotes peace and harmony between people
 We think everyone must be treated with dignity.

ADOLESCENCE

It is the stage of life when a child goes through physical (puberty), emotional,
social and mental changes to become an adult.
It is the stage of development between childhood and adulthood

THE CHANGES THAT OCCUR DURING ADOLESCENCE

PHYSICAL CHANGES OR PUBERTY

Adolescence begins with physical changes known as puberty
Boys and girls experience different physical changes and these may occur at
different times.

CHANGES THAT TAKE PLACE IN BOYS AN GIRLS DURING PUBERTY

BOYS GIRLS
Growth spurt Growth spurt
Sweat glands make more sweat Sweat glands make more sweat
Skin is oilier and may be pimply Skin is oilier and may be pimply
Voices grow deeper Breasts buds appear
Pubic and underarm hair grows Pubic and underarm hair grows
Body hair grows thicker and longer, Body hair grows thicker and longer
face hair grows
Muscles grow bigger Develop hips and pelvic bones grow
wider
Develop sexual desire Develop sexual desire
Experience wet dreams Experience menstruation
Sexual organs grow bigger Sexual organs grow bigger

EMOTIONAL CHANGES

 Mood swings- moods can change suddenly, from being happy one
moment to feeling sad angry the next.
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  Being short tempered – may get angry easily even over minor issues
 Self awareness- they become more aware of their physical appearance so
they may spend a lot of time grooming to make sure they look good.
 Sexual feelings- begin to have sexual feelings and romantic feelings for
others. they may want to have a special boyfriend or girlfriend
 Loneliness or confusion- may feel lonely and confused; they often feel
no one understands them, especially adults.

SOCIAL CHANGES

 Forming of personal identity- begins to establish his or her own identity

and values. As a result he or she may want more privacy, some may refuse
to obey rules and reject authority
 Friends- friendship and acceptance by the group of friends becomes very
important. Through friendship they learn the necessary social skills of
relating to others.
 Becoming independent- begins to be more independent of their parents,
they want more freedom to make their own decisions and they may feel
frustrated when they are not allowed to do as they please.

MENTAL CHANGES

 Ability to reason- develops the ability to think logically. E.g. they begin
to notice inconsistent behaviour in others, especially adults, when they
one thing and do the opposite
 Ability to evaluate- begins to develop the ability to identify different
choices and think about the advantages and disadvantages of each choice.
 Ability to understand ideas- begins to develop the ability to think about
the ideas and things they cannot see or touch. E.g. they are able to form
their own opinions about what is happening around them on political,
health, environmental and morality issues.
 Ability to empathise- develop the ability to think about how they are
perceived by others and to understand other peoples points of view.
 Ability to think about the future- develop the ability to think ahead and
predict what might happen in the future.

THE WAY CHANGES IN ADOLESCENCE INFLUENCE BEHAVIOUR

 Adolescents may worry about putting on weight and begin to be more

aware of what they eat
 May become more curious about sexual matters. Some may have their first
romantic or sexual relationship
 Some may become very shy and quiet because they lack self confidence
 They may also get irritated or angry easily and feel adults do not
understand them
 Adolescents begin to prefer to spend more time with friends than their
families; friends begin to influence their likes and dislikes.

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  They may want more privacy and become more secretive. E.g. they may
not want their parents to meet their friends; they may not want other
family members to enter their bedrooms without permission
 They may develop or lose interests in different activities quickly as part of
developing their own identity.
 Begin to question rules as well as the values of their parents and
community; they may want to know the reasons behind the rules they have
to follow.
 They may become argumentative and rebellious especially against the
authority of adults.

APPLYING SKILLS TO COPE WITH THE EFFECTS OF ADOLESCENT

CHANGES

There are skills an adolescent can learn and to cope with the effects of the
changes. These skills include the following-; effective communication, decision
making, emotional intelligence (anger and stress management), assertiveness,
interpersonal skills and development of a positive self concept.

1. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
This skill helps parents and teachers to openly discuss the changes adolescents
are undergoing. It involves providing adolescents with information concerning
their growth and development. It helps them prepare for the changes they are
experiencing so that these do not surprise and traumatize them.

2. DECISION MAKING

These skills refer to the ability to make or create alternatives to a situation. The
situation can either be short term, mid term or long term. Adolescents are
concerned with making choices about future spouses, careers or jobs, and
opportunities for further education.

3. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Emotional intelligence is concerned with the way adolescents communicate with

others, the appropriate control of their emotions and their self awareness. It
therefore includes stress and anger management. Adolescents need to develop
their emotional intelligence so that they are able to control their aggressive
behaviour, and also needs to know the available options available to them by
controlling their emotions

PAST AND PRESENT ATTITUDES OF BOYS AND GIRLS TOWARDS EACH

OTHER
 In the past boys regarded girls as being inferior or subordinate to them.
Girls regarded boys as superior to them. Their attitude towards each other
was influenced by society as in many ethnic groups in Botswana men and
women were not equal. Men were leaders in the family and the community
and women were expected to obey them.

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 Men had power and authority over women. E.g. a husband had power and
authority over his wife and was responsible for managing the family
resources. When he died the eldest son became the head of the family. In
the community the position of the kgosi was passed from father to the
eldest son.

 In the past males and females had different responsibilities. E.g. males
were responsible for looking after cattle, ploughing and roofing
roundavels. Women did the household chores, took care of the young
children and grew crops. Boys were expected to do tasks for males, while
girls did the tasks for females.

 Boys who failed to do male tasks and did not behave like men were said to
be weak and were called names such as phara meseseng, kgole ya Chiba,
nkele dibing which implied that they were girlish and weak. Girls who
were strong and assertive were criticized and accused of wanting to be
like men.

 During adolescence boys and girls were encouraged to keep away from
each other, boys spend most of their time playing with other boys. Girls
spend their time playing with other girls or helping their mothers in the
village and the fields.

PRESENT ATTITUDES
 Nowadays boys and girls see each other as equals this has been brought
about by a number of factors – first socialization has changed, children are
brought together at home, they are no longer brought up in different
places with household chores clearly allocated according to ones sex, they
help each other in the house and in performing duties in and around the
house.

 School is another place that has helped change the way boys and girls
relate with each other, boys and girls attend the same school. Boys now do
the subjects that were traditionally thought to be feminine such as home
economics and the same applies to girls.

-The school also provides an opportunity for boys and girls to develop
relationships since they are free to mix.
-sports is another area where boys and girls can come into contact with
each other, they both belong to the same sports teams like softball,
football etc

FAMILY LIFE

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 THE ROLE OF THE FAMILY IN THE MORAL DEVELOPMENT OF A
CHILD

FAMILY- is a group of people who are related by blood, marriage, adoption or

assimilation. There are different types of families’ e.g. nuclear, single parent and
extended family.

MORAL DEVELOPMENT- is a process by which people learn and understand

about right and wrong ways of behaving

 Family teaches children the right way to behave by showing them how
other people behave. When parents and other adults admire good
behaviour or criticize or condemn bad behaviour, the child learns what is
right and wrong ways of behaving.

 Families have rules that guide children to understand right and wrong bad
behaviour. Good behaviour is normally rewarded with praise and
encouragement and punishment for wrong or bad behaviour.
( punishment and reward).

 Families develop a child morally by explaining to the child how his or her
behaviour affects others. Children begin to understand that their
behaviour affects others too. This helps the child to develop feelings of
empathy (guidance and counseling).

 Children learn right and wrong by observing the actions and behaviour of
older family members, especially their parents. Parents usually teach
moral behaviour by being role models of good behaviour that their
children can copy. Parents who want their children to be honest, kind and
generous must behave in that way too. (Role models).

 Family develops a child morally when adults in the family explain the
reasons for their own behaviour. This helps children understand why they
should behave in one way and not another.

 Families develop children morally by teaching their children the norms

and moral values of their community or society. This helps the child accept
rules that are for the common good and to behave in ways that are
acceptable to society.

NORMS AND VALUES OF FAMILY LIFE IN BOTSWANA

Norms - are rules about what is accepted as normal behaviour by a group of

people or community.

- ATTENDING A RELATIVES FUNERAL

This is a way of showing loyalty to the family members and showing that you are
united. This is expected even if not all family members are loyal to each other.

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 - WEARING BLACK CLOTHES AFTER THE DEATH OF A HUSBAND
This is a cultural norm which symbolizes grief however; the husband is not
expected to change his attire after the death of his wife, so it can be considered
a double standard.

- RESPECT OF ELDERS
Respect of elders is a cultural value even if the elder is not worth of respect.
Younger members of the family treat their parents and other member’s of the
family with respect. E.g. children are expected to do household chores given to
them by a parent. Children are not expected to talk back to or argue with their
parents.

- HAVING MANY CHILDREN

This was a cultural value of the family in the past. Nowadays many people do not
want to have many children because of the financial implications

Values - are the things, ideas and beliefs that are important to an individual or
group of people. The following are some of the values of family life in Botswana;

 COOPERATION

Cooperation is defined as working together for a common goal. Cooperation is

demonstrated in the everyday lives of families in Botswana however it is
considered particularly important during social occasions such as funerals and
weddings. Some activities that promote cooperation among Batswana includes
molaletsa, motshelo and letsema. It is also reflected in Setswana sayings such
as; ‘setshwarwa ke ntsa pedi ga se thata’, ‘moroto wa o esi ga o ele’,
‘mabogo dinku a thebana’ etc.

 RESPECT
Respect form the basis of family relations in Botswana. Authority is based on
age, the young respect the old and in turn the old must have self respect and
show respect for the young. This is shown by the saying ‘Susu ilela suswana
gore le ene a tle a go ilele” this means that one should respect other people in
order to earn their respect.

 SHARING
Sharing within the families is viewed as the spirit of consideration that is,
members are encouraged to show regard for others. For instance, according to
the custom of mafisa, relatives assist one another by lending or sharing cattle so
that everyone can have milk and use the cattle for ploughing. This is reflected in
the Setswana proverb “Bana ba motho ba kgaogana tlhogwana ya ntsi”
which means that nothing is too little to be shared.

 OBEDIENCE
Listening to what parents and elders say is a very important cultural value in
Botswana. Children are expected to take the advice and follow the instructions
of elders. This is because the community trusts that older people will give
children good and positive advice.

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MANAGING FAMILY RESOURCES AND ACTIVITIES

Family resources include all the property and assets that the family owns. This
may include land, houses, savings, business, car, furniture and clothes.
Resources are not only confined to the property but also the family projects and
activities become part of the resources as well. All members of the family have a
collective responsibility to these resources so that they look after them and use
them as wisely as possible.

THE FOLLOWING ARE WAYS IN WHICH FAMILY RESOURCES CAN BE

MANAGED;

1. PLANNING AND BUDGETING

A budget is an outlined plan of how to spend the money, or income. A plan is an
arrangement that has been carefully outlined for carrying out some activities
especially in the future. A family then has a clear outline of an intended projects
so as to carefully priorities’ what is more important and budgeting also helps to
ensure that the family does not waste its income.

2. CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION

In a typical Setswana family, the father is the head of the family; however this
does not mean that he has the right to make decisions that affect the family on
his own. It is very important that other family members are consulted (asked
what they think) before making a decision so that it would benefit the whole
family. All members need to be able to communicate well with one another. This
means having a turn to speak, and being able to listen to and respect what other
members have to say. E.g. if siblings tells each other that they are going into
town to do some shopping, they might realize that they could use one car and
save a lot of money in the process.

3. COOPERATION
There is a saying that “the family that plays together stays together” this means
that if all the members of a family cooperate, and work together towards the

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same goals, that family will be stronger. The family will form a close team and
there will be less chance of arguments

4. CARE AND SUPPORT

Care and support are two other important resources that need to be well
managed. The care and support must be mutual and evenly balanced between
all members. For a family to be in harmony there is no room for favoritism.
Caring means that you consider the other persons well being and do not do
anything to hurt them.
5. SHARING
This is a very important value that every family member should practice. If
family member consider each other, they will share whatever food is available.
Clothes if taken care of, they can later be used by the younger siblings. This is
emphasized by the setswana proverb “bana ba motho ba kgaogana tlhogwana ya
ntsi”
6. SAVING
The responsible use of family resources should not be only about spending
money, but about saving for emergencies, such as funerals or for an important
event such as a wedding. People should save for their old age, so that they are
not burden on the society when they can no longer work.

AGENTS OF CHANGE IN THE COMMUNITY

AGENTS OF CHANGE THAT INFLUENCE BEHAVIOUR

An agent of change is a factor that brings about change. Agents of change
influence the way we behave. Some agents of change that influence the way
people behave within communities are;

PEERS
Peers are people of the same age; examples of peers are our friends and school
mates. Peers especially our friends’ influence the way we behave, either
positively or negatively. Examples of positive peer influence include
encouraging you to work hard at school and negative peer influence could
include peers encouraging you to break family and rules.

SCHOOLS
Most children go to school nowadays. Schools not only teach different subjects,
they also teach children how to behave, through guiding and counseling them.
Schools influence the behaviour of their learners by making rules about
acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in the school, teachers praising and
rewarding good behaviour and punishing bad behaviour and teaching the
correct knowledge about issues that require behavioral changes such as HIV/
AIDS.

ROLE MODELS
A role model is any person we admire and we want to be like him or her. We
look up to them. People who can be our role models include our parents,
brothers, sisters, political leaders, musicians, sports men and women. Role
models may influence our behaviour in the following ways; good role models

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help us to make good choices in life, they inspire us to do better people by
imitating their good and moral behaviour. Bad role models can influence us to
behave in bad or wrong ways. By imitating their behaviour, we too begin to
behave badly.

MASS MEDIA
The mass media refers to methods of communicating with the public. Examples
of the mass media are television, radio, films, newspapers and magazines. What
we see, hear, or read influences our behaviour. The mass media can make us
aware of dangerous and bad behaviour and encourage us to change for the
better, e.g. road safety and HIV/AIDS. Advertisements make people aware of
how they should behave to be safe. Some people may want to behave like people
they see on the television or in movies. E.g. if they watch television shows,
movies or play video games where people use violence to settle their conflicts,
they may accept this as a good or normal way of behaving.

CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

As a member of any given community you follow its culture. Your behaviour is
controlled and determined by the values beliefs traditions, customs and norms
of that particular community. You do not exist in isolation but you need
recognition and acceptance, therefore you behave according to the communities
expectations. Religion gives people a sense of purpose and meaning in life.
People who are religious sometimes react differently to a crisis than a person
who is not religious would react. Most religions teach people to forgive others
and this may help people to become tolerant and patient

FORTUNE TELLING
Fortune tellers can predict our future for instance if you are told that someone is
bewitching you to fail exams, you are likely to believe it and give up on your
studies hence you fail. Similarly they predict that you have bad luck and will not
succeed in life, you may work extra hard in order to achieve your goals. Fortune
telling may have a positive psychological effect on people in that they may have
something to look forward to. Negatively fortune telling misleads people by
giving them false hopes. When such hopes are not realized people may feel that
life is ‘not on their side’

HOW AGENTS OF CHANGE INFLUENCE BEHAVIOUR

- Motivate us to listen to messages that influence behaviour

- Being role models. If the agents of change are individuals and share their
life experiences with us, this may change our behaviour. They can also be
role models for the behaviour that may be copied by their admirers.
- Teaching us behaviour skills, such as assertiveness, decision making and
interpersonal skills
- Creating codes of conduct , rules and laws to guide our behaviour

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 - Giving us the correct information about issues that need us to change our
behaviour. Examples of issues that require changes in behaviour are: HIV
and AIDS, teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse and conservation of
the environment.

IMPACT OF AGENTS OF CHANGE ON THE INDIVIDUAL FAMILY AND

COMMUNITY

AGENT INDIVIDUALS FAMILY COMMUNITY

OF
CHANGE
PEERS -peers influence our Peer influence can mean -negative peer pressure can
behaviour because we that someone has a result in teenagers in the
all have a need to be good or bad relationship community behaving in anti-
accepted by our peers. with his or her family social ways, e.g. underage
Positive peer pressure peers can do this by drinking of alcohol, shoplifting
can lead to good encouraging the person and disrespecting adults
behaviour while to accept or reject the
negative peer pressure family’s norms and
can lead to bad values
behaviour
SCHOOLS -influence learners Can influence the way -the knowledge students get
behaviour. E.g. they can family treats and cares at schools can be used to
influence a learners for the child. The change the behaviour of some
values, self esteem, self knowledge the child members of the community
confidence, and their gains from the schools e.g. children are taught about
way of thinking and can be shared with child abuse and where to
reasoning other family members. report it
E.g. a child can explain
facts about HIV & AIDS
to family members
ROLE Role models influence Role models within the The values and behaviour
MODELS individuals because family can motivate learnt and copied from the
people who admire other family members to role models are displayed or
them often imitate the behave in certain ways. expressed as behaviour within
way they walk, talk Parents are usually role the community. Community
dress and behave models for their leaders can have a big impact
children. The way they by influencing behaviour and
act and behave choices of their people
influences the behaviour
of their children
MASS It can influence the self Media such as television It can have a big impact on
MEDIA concept and behaviour have affected family life. the community because they
of individuals. They may E.g. some families have are used to influence
want to be like the meals while watching knowledge, attitudes and
people they see in the television and no longer behaviour of a community
media. They are sit at the dinning table about issues that affect a
persuaded by things large number of people such

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 they see in the media as HIV/AIDS, crime, road
safety etc

ABSTINENCE
Refers to keeping away or refraining any form of sexual activity or refraining
from sex
-abstinence means refraining from or avoiding certain things

VIEW POINTS ON ABSTINENCE

RELIGIOUS VIEW
Abstinence is seen as a way of devotion, e.g. the catholic priests devote their
lives to the service of god by abstaining from sex
Some religious groups encourage abstinence until a person gets married. In
most religions, premarital sex is seen as a sin

CULTURAL VIEW
In most African countries, sexual relationships between boys and girls are not
allowed before marriage. Boys and girls are encouraged to abstain from sex

CELIBACY

The state of being unmarried and abstaining from sexual activity. E.g. fathers
and sisters in the Roman Catholic Church.

REASONS FOR CELIBACY AND CHASTITY

- To practice self control

- To concentrate all one’s energy on achieving a goal
- To practice birth control and avoid the risk of getting STD’s or HIV
- To keep one’s virginity until marriage
- To devote ones life fully to the service of god

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF ABSTINENCE

- People who abstain are respected by other people for being able to control
their sexual feelings. In many communities people who show self control
and self discipline are not only respected but also admired
- People are seen as behaving in a morally acceptable way, if they abstain
as required by their religion or community.
- Abstinence can save lives by reducing the number of people who may
become infected with HIV and die from AIDS.
- Adultery is one of the major reasons married people divorce. Abstaining
from adulterous sex in order to remain faithful to ones spouse can prevent
marriages and families from breaking up
- Teenagers who abstain are not at the risk of having babies before they are
ready and able to take care of the babies- both emotionally and financially

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 SEX EDUCATION

Abstinence sex education is a form of sex education that focuses only on

teaching young people to abstain from sex until after marriage to the exclusion
of all other types of sexual and reproductive health education particularly
regarding birth control and safe sex.
It emphases the importance of abstaining from sexual intercourse by young
children as it excuse them from sexually transmitted infections, including HIV,
abortion and other negative consequences of pre – marital sexual activity.
Comprehensive sex education
It is a form of sex education that teaches young people about abstinence, and
the advantages of delaying sex until they are older and mature. It also teaches
them about contraception and ways of protecting themselves from STI”S

1.0. VIEWPOINTS ON SEX EDUCATION

People have different views in relation to sex education? The way sexual
intercourse was perceived in the past is different from how it is viewed
nowadays. Some parents do not want to discuss sexual issues with their children
while others are open and willing to discuss the matter with them.

2.1. Religious Views

Religious people tend to differ from one another even in their teachings about
sex. However, these religious views vary from one religion to the other.
 In some religions, they encourage their members to refrain from sex since
they believe it is a dirty act and demonic e.g. In Christianity sex is
regarded as sacred or very special to be respected. It is seen as a beautiful
gift from God, which demands responsibility, commitment and total love.
To a devoted Christian sex is prohibited before marriage, as such majority
of church leaders encourages sexual abstinence to their followers as they
believe it is the best option.

2.2. Philosophical Views

A philosopher Emmanuel Kant teaches that sex makes a person an object of

appetite and as a result it leads to degradation of human nature. He goes on to
say that when one loves another, all that he wants from that person is nothing
else but sex.

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Furthermore, Kant teaches that those engaged in sexual activities make
themselves willing into objects of each other merely for the sake of sexual
pleasure. As such, both persons are reduced to the animal level.

2.0 MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF EARLY SEXUAL ACTS

a. Teenage pregnancy – early sexual acts can result in one being mother or
father at an early age. This will rob or take away one’s childhood as one
will have to take full responsibility of his/ her new born baby. In addition,
teenagers who fall pregnant fail to cope with motherhood as they are not
yet mature physically and emotionally.
b. Early sexual acts can lead to transmission of sexually transmitted
infections and HIV/Aids.
c. Early sexual acts can lead to stress from sexual relationships. As stated
earlier, children should abstain from sexual activities as they are not
mature enough to deal effectively with the demands and challenges arising
from sexual relationships. Sometimes others are unable to manage and
communicate their feelings about the situation in their relationships
resulting in depression.
d. Practicing early sexual acts can also lead to one’s aims priorities and goals
being affected. It is very important for one to understand the benefits and
disadvantages of a sexual relationship before getting involved. Teenagers
should focus on their education, passing examinations and having a bright
future. There are many things one can enjoy doing besides having sex,
remember you can just be close to someone without having sex.

3.0. WHY SEX SHOULD BE PERFORMED BY MATURE CONSENTING

PEOPLE

 They are old enough to handle the consequences of sex. As you know
every action has results, if you take a bad action, you will have bad results,
but a good action leads to good results. So mature people can deal with
the results of their actions in a proper way even if they are bad.
 Sex should be performed by mature consenting people because they are
able to give an informed consent. Sex should be an action that is agreed
by both parties involved. The decision should not be taken by one person.
As such, mature people can agree or disagree to have sex without anyone
forcing them to make that decision.
 In addition, sex should be performed by mature consenting people
because they are able to take care of their own health. As you are aware,
unprotected sexual intercourse can result in transmission of sexually
transmitted diseases, as such, mature people are in a position to take full
responsibility of their own health. For example, they can refuse to have
unprotected sex without fear of loosing a partner or being beaten.
 They are able to stomach the emotional trauma and physical consequences
of having sex. During sexual intercourse, the penis penetrate the vagina,
as such, one should be ready both physically and emotionally. For

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 instance, one’s physical body should be strong enough to accommodate
his/her partner.

3.0. THE MORALITY FORMS OF SEXUAL SATISFACTION

a) Masturbation – some people gets their sexual satisfaction through

touching and fondling their own genital organs or their partner’s genitals.

It can be morally good to masturbate because:

 There are no risks of sexual transmitted infections; there is no
sexual penetration, as such, the body fluids may not get into contact
with thereby resulting in lack of transmission of infections between
partners.
 One can also satisfy his/her sex needs at his/her own time and pace.
For instance, one can fondle his/her genitals where he/she gets more
sexual satisfaction at a time and pace that suit him/her.
 No risk of abusive relationships –those who are not involved in any
sexual relationship are free from being oppressed and ill – treated by
their partners and at the same time get sexual satisfaction. There
are less risks of abuse as no one is forced into having sexual
intercourse.
 Masturbation is morally acceptable because it helps in keeping one’s
privacy herself or himself. For instance, those with physical
disorders will not undress or expose their bodies to anyone. As such,
if there are any parts in their bodies that they are not comfortable
with, masturbation will help them as they will not be forced to show
them to anyone.
 However, though masturbation is generally good, it also has some
disadvantages; it can delay one to find a life partner. One might
indulge in masturbation for a long time and fail to find a sexual
partner. In addition, procreation will also be delayed.

b) Aggressiveness/aggression – some people get sexual satisfaction

through violent means. This is where instead of having a normal sexual
intercourse, one will force his partner to undress then beat her up.
Sometimes he will tie her hands and legs to the bed. During the beatings
and crying by the victim, the aggressor will be gaining sexual satisfaction.

c) Other people gain sexual satisfaction through being watched during sexual
intercourse. Such kind of people usually likes to have sex in an open space
and sometimes inside cars. If they are inside house they will leave doors
open or move curtains aside for someone to be able to view what is inside.

6.0. RESPONSIBLE WAY OF HAVING SEX

Sex should be emphasized by a real commitment between both people involved

in the relationship. It is very important for them to be responsible and
accountable for their actions.

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  Those having sex should give consent. If two people are having sex, they
both should have agreed. No one should force the other partner into
having sex. This is due to the fact that having sex has some consequences,
as such; consenting into having sex will lead to one not blaming anyone if
things do not go well during or after sex.

 There should be protection. Nowadays there are so many sexually

transmitted infections, as such; during sexual intercourse partners should
both protect themselves against such infection. It is not easy to tell
whether someone has some STI’s particularly HIV/AIDS by just looking at
him/her. That is why it is advisable to always use protection during sex if
you do not know the status of your partner or you are not ready for
commitment.

 Avoiding casual sex or having sex with multiple concurrent partners

 Having sex when one is sober and not drunk or high on illegal drugs, this
can help one to avoid, having sex with strangers, having sex without giving
or seeking consent and failing to use protection to prevent unwanted
pregnancies and spreading or getting sexually transmitted infections
 Making sure there is privacy before engaging in sex because having sex in
public is considered indecent, offensive and immoral

7.0. MORAL IMPLICATION OF HAVING SEX

As you have learnt, having sex raises some moral issues. To some people sex is
unacceptable, while to some is acceptable if done for good reasons.

 Having sex gives one sexual satisfaction. Some people argue that sex is
good activity because it gives pleasure, it erases sexual boredom.
 One can get some sexually transmitted infections through sexual
intercourse. As mentioned above, you cannot tell if your partner has some
sexual infections, as such, if one has unprotected sex, it is easy to contract
or acquire some infections. People who are sexually active can be exposed
to some sexual diseases if they do not take the necessary precautions.
 Another moral implication of having sex is; it can lead to unwanted
pregnancy. Some people have unprotected sex though they do not want
children. Having said that, it is very important for one to wait for the right
time to have sex as one will be ready to face all the consequences that
come with having sex.
 Though some people believe that having sex for pleasure is not acceptable,
others argue that it is good as one can meet the rightful partners. They
point out that some partners can end up having long term stable
relationship though they started with just casual sex for pleasure.

8.0. ADVANTAGES OF WAITING FOR THE RIGHT TIME TO HAVE SEX

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If you are not involved in any sexual acts, I guess by now you know the benefits.
If you are still young and you are already involved in sexual relationships that
include sex, you can quit. It is not too late to quit, especially after learning about
the moral implications of early sexual acts and why sex should be performed by
mature consenting people.

The following are some of the reasons of waiting for the right time to have sex;

 Free from unplanned pregnancy. Pregnancy is a demanding situation that

needs one to be ready. One should know that being sexually active does
not mean that one is physically, emotionally and financially ready to bear a
child. Pregnancy needs planning so that one will be aware of the
necessary requirements of an expectant mother and her baby. As such,
refraining from sex at an early age will free one from unwanted or
unplanned pregnancy which might lead to negative social ills like
abortions suicide and others.
 Free from sexually transmitted infections. Waiting for the right time to
have sex free one from STI’s. I hope you still remember those examples of
sexually transmitted infections that you learnt in the moral implications of
having sex. So if you abstain from sex, you will be protecting yourself from
such infections like gonorrhea. Be aware that anyone, even you can get
HIV/AIDS and STI’s if there is no prevention.
 Another advantage of waiting for the right time to have sex is that one will
focus on his/her goals and priorities. If you have considered sexual
abstinence as the best option, it will be easy to achieve your goals and
targets. You will have enough time to focus on your studies without being
disturbed by boyfriend or girlfriend.

9.0. FACTORS AFFECTING SEXUAL NEGOTIATION AND DECISION

MAKING

A. NON – MATERIAL FACTORS

 Myths – Myths are ideas and stories that many people believe but are not
true. Children can get such ideas and information regarding sex which is
incorrect. For example; there is a saying that a girl can not fall pregnant
when having unprotected sex while standing up. This is not true, one’s
sitting or standing position does not prevent pregnancy. That is why it is
very important to learn more about sex and dispel its myths. This will help
one to avoid always depending on other people. It is advisable to always
ask for help if you are not sure about some sexual matters. Nurses,
teachers and social workers are always willing to teach and provide you
with information regarding sex.
 Immaturity – some teenagers are unable to make the right decisions
because they are still young. For example, some girls never say no to sex
even when they do not want to have sex because they believe that
relationships are all about sex. As mentioned earlier, it is very important
to abstain from sex and wait for the right time when you are old enough to
make well informed and right decisions.

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  Peer – pressure – age-mates or peers can influence one another to do bad
or good things. In most cases, peers can influence one another negatively.
Peers like to force others into having sexual intercourse. Some peers will
be afraid of being rejected by their friends and as a result they end up
agreeing into having sex though they do not want to. They will have sex
just to please their age-mates.
 Gender roles and expectations
In many cultures females are socialized to be submissive to males. As a
result man makes the decisions concerning sexual matters and women
tolerate men being unfaithful. Women are unable to negotiate the use
of contraceptives or insist that a man should remain faithful
 AGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEXUAL PARTNERS
When a young person engages in a sexual relationship with a much
older person decisions about sex about sex are usually made by the
older person. The young person may therefore find it difficult to
negotiate the use of contraceptive, and when and where to have sex, as
a result the young person may engage in unprotected sex.

B. MATERIAL FACTORS
Material factors affecting sexual negotiations and decision making are;
a) Money – some people indulge in sexual relationships for money. They
get deceived that they will be offered money after sex. Though some
are given money after having sex, it is immoral to neither buy nor sell
sex.
b) Possession of goods – some young people believe that having some
properties and money are the most important things in life. For
example, a cell phone, certain clothing labels are the must have to
some teenagers. As a result, some of them end up having sex with older
people in return of such goods.
c) Alcohol and drug abuse – excessive intake of drugs and alcohol is
another material factor that is affecting sexual negotiations and
decision making. Alcohol and drugs are very expensive and addictive.
Since it can be very difficult to stop taking drugs, some people may end
up having sex with others for money so that they can buy drugs. In
addition, alcohol and drugs can lead to loss of physical control over
one’s actions which can result in one being raped.

LIFE SKILLS USED TO CHANGE PEOPLES ATTITUDE TOWARDS

SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR

 DECISION MAKING SKILLS

Decision making skills can help people change their attitudes towards
unhealthy and morally unacceptable sexual behaviour. This is because
decision making involves understanding the consequences of the choices one
makes. If people understands that their attitude leads them to engage in
sexual behaviour that can result in life threatening STI”S such as HIV or
damage their social relationships, they are likely to change their attitude.
 ASSERTIVENESS

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Assertive communication between sexual partners can help to change
attitude towards sexual behaviour such as having as having multi concurrent
partners, casual sex, and the refusal to use a condoms. Partners, who talk to
each other honestly about such sexual behaviour, will make each other aware
of the negative consequences of engaging in such behaviour. This can lead to
a change in attitude as well as sexual behaviour.

 NEGOTIATION SKILLS
Negotiation means to reach an agreement through compromise. Through
negotiation a partner can be persuaded to change his or her negative attitude
towards condom use. If they accept the need to use condoms, they are likely
to change their attitude and always have safe sex instead of unprotected sex.

 STRESS MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Stress management skills can help change the attitude that it is acceptable to
have casual sex and multiple concurrent partners to relieve stress. Stress
management skills can help people deal with their stress without engaging in
casual sex or multiple concurrent partnerships.

 EMPATHY BUILDING
Empathy is the ability to put oneself in someone else’s situation and imagine
how he or she is feeling. Empathy enables us to appreciate how our attitudes
and behaviour affect other people. People are likely to change their attitude,
if they understand how their sexual behaviour is negatively affecting their
sexual partners and other people around them.

THE USE OF A CONDOM

There are two types of condoms, those used by males and those used by
females.

MALE CONDOM
Male condom is a sheath which is closed at one end and fits over a mans
erect penis

FEMALE CONDOM
A female condom is a sheath which a woman inserts inside her vagina. It is
also referred to as a femidom

MEASURES OF EFFECTIVE CONDOM USE

 Store unused condoms in a cool dry place out of direct heat and sunlight.
 Check the expiry date of the condom on the packet. Do not use expired
condoms because they are not safe to use. They may tear easily

 Open the packet of the condoms carefully. Do not open the packet with
your teeth or a sharp object such as a pair of scissors.

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  Read the leaflet with instructions that is inside the condom packet, on how
to use and put on a condom correctly and carefully. Condoms are only
effective they are used correctly.

 If the condom tears or is put on incorrectly, remove it and use a new one.

 A new condom should be used every time one has sexual intercourse.
Never reuse a condom.

 Keep the condom on until sexual intercourse is complete

 Dispose the used condoms properly. Wrap the condom in toilet paper and
throw it away in a bin or pit latrine. Do not flush it down a toilet.

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF CONDOM USAGE

 Condoms prevent pregnancy – some people believe that it is morally

acceptable to use condoms to prevent pregnancy if one does not want or is
not ready to have a baby. It helps in family planning and enables
individuals to control their own fertility

 Condoms are the only form of protection that can prevent the spread of
sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV. This can help discordant
partners (where one is infected with HIV while the other is not) to stay
together because the infected partner can use condoms to avoid infecting
his or her partner.

 Condoms create a moral dilemma for some people. Using condoms to

prevent the spread of STI’s such as HIV prevents pregnancy at the same
time, not using condoms to fall pregnant, means exposing oneself and the
unborn baby to the risk of becoming infected with STI’S including HIV, or
transmitting such infections to one’s sexual partner.

 Some people may become promiscuous and engage in casual sex knowing
that they can use condoms to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STI’s

 Condoms are not 100% safe. If a condom is not used correctly or is of poor
quality, it can result in an unwanted pregnancy which may lead to an
unsafe abortion. The person is also at risk of getting STI’s and HIV/AIDS

SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS
- refers to the connection between two people who engage in sexual acts

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DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN HETEROSEXUALITY, BISEXUALITY AND
HOMOSEXUALITY

HETEROSEXUALITY
Means being sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex, men are usually
attracted to women, and women are sexually attracted to women

BISEXUALITY
Means being sexually attracted to members of both sexes, a man would be
attracted to both men and women, while a woman would be attracted to both
women and men.

HOMOSEXUALITY
Means being sexually attracted to people of the same sex, men are usually
attracted to other men, and women are sexually attracted to other women. A
homosexual person especially men are known as being “gay” while women are
known as “lesbians”

REASONS ADVANCED FOR SEXUAL ORIENTATIONS

REASONS FOR HOMOSEXUALITY

 PERSONAL CHOICE- some people may prefer to develop sexual

relations with people of the same sex

 BIOLOGICAL- some people may question their gender and upbringing

that is a person may be biologically structured like a woman but feels like
a man

 most homosexual people believe that they are born as homosexuals i.e. it
is genetic and natural

 DOMINATION- historically some have tried to dominate and oppress

women and this may encourage some females to prefer some sexual
relations with other females where there is less domination and
oppression

 CHANGING ATTITUDES- some societies and countries are now more

tolerant to such relationships and this can encourage others because to
be gay is acceptable and even fashionable. This can also be influenced by
the media.

REASONS FOR HETEROSEXUALITY

 Most people have heterosexual relationships because they believe that

males and females are biologically attracted to each other

 Many people believe that one main purpose of sexual intercourse is

procreation ie. To produce children

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  Many people believe that it is universally accepted sexual relationship
which is commonly practiced in all cultures

 Most religions discourage people from other forms of sexual relationships.

i.e. homosexuality or bisexuality

REASONS FOR BISEXUALITY

 Some people are forced by the societies they come from to engage in this
type of sexual relationship. If the society is intolerant of homosexuality,
some people who feel sexually attracted to people of the same sex are
forced to hide their true sexual orientation by having heterosexual
relationships openly, while at the same time engaging in homosexual
relationship in secret

 Some people may want to experiment with how it feels to have a sexual
relationships with people of both sexes as they may be unsure of their
genetic sexuality

 Some people are sexually attracted to both men and women naturally

 Some people discover that they are sexually attracted to people of the
same sex after they are already in a heterosexual relationship. Some
people could be married and have children and such people may find it
very hard to give up the relationship or to suppress their sexual
orientation and as a result may end being bisexual

MORAL IMPLICATIONS

HOMOSEXUALITY
 Many societies reject this type of sexual orientation because they consider
it to be unnatural and therefore immoral. Homosexual may feel forced to
have heterosexual relationship, or to remain single, in order to hide their
true sexual orientation or keep their homosexual relationship secret.

 Some societies such as south Africa respect and protect the right to sexual
orientation. In such countries homosexuality is accepted as a human right
and most people do not judge it as morally wrong.

 Homosexuality does not allow procreation. Some homosexual couples who

want children either adopt, or use artificial insemination or a surrogate
mother. Their children may become confused because they will be raised
by two parents of the same sex.

HETEROSEXUALITY

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  Since heterosexuality is considered the natural way to have sex and to
procreate, it is considered morally right. It allows the continuation of the
family and human race. Many people and some religions believe that a
sexual orientation which does not allow the possibility of procreation is
morally wrong.

 In many societies marriage is defined as, the legal union between a man
and a woman as husband and wife. As a result only heterosexual
marriages are accepted and recognized as normal and morally right.

BISEXUALITY

 It can lead to conflict with ones sexual partner who is not bisexual. It can
damage his or her self esteem and self confidence.

 People who are bisexuals can be rejected in societies that consider

homosexuality to be unnatural and immoral

SEXUAL PRACTICES

SEXUAL PRACTICES AND THEIR MORAL IMPLICATIONS

Below are some sexual practices and their moral implications.

ADULTERY

Adultery is when a person in a monogamous marriage engages in sexual

intercourse with somebody who is not his or her spouse. When two married
people who are not each other’s spouses engage in sexual intercourse with an
unmarried person, it is the married person who is committing adultery.

The moral implications of adultery

 Adultery is considered morally wrong and unacceptable because it is seen

as a betrayal of trust and breaking one’s marriage vows to be sexually
faithful to one’s spouse.
 Adultery leads to lack of trust between a husband and a wife. This may
eventually lead to conflicts which may either result in domestic violence or
divorce.
 It may cause the children of the couple and the spouse who is faithful
emotional pain and mental stress. The children may feel that they lack
attention from the parent who is having an extra marital affair. The
faithful spouse may feel angry at the betrayal of trust and their marriage
vows.
 The adulterer may lose the respect of his or her children, family members,
friends and members of the community. If the adulterer is an important
member of the community or society, people will no longer consider him
or her as a good role model, especially for the youth.

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  Adultery increases the risks of getting sexually transmitted infections,
including HIV and infecting one’s spouse. Some of these infections are life
threatening or cause infertility.
 A husband or wife may end up killing his or her spouse due to the anger
and emotional pain caused by the adultery. This may result in the problem
of orphan hood because the person may after killing his or her spouse,
commit suicide.
 Adultery may result in the misuse of family resources. Those who commit
adultery may spend money on their adulterous relationships and fail to
take proper care of their family.

Fornication
Fornication refers to the sexual practice of unmarried people having sexual
intercourse. Fornication is also known as premarital sex.

Moral implications of fornication

 In many religions and societies, people believe that sex should only take
place within marriage. Fornication is therefore considered to be
immoral or sinning against God’s will.
 Fornication can result in unwanted and unplanned pregnancy. A woman
who does not want to have the baby may end up committing abortion.
In most cases, the woman is left with the responsibility of raising the
child on her own. If the woman does not have the means to support the
child, other relatives are expected to help care for the child. This puts
an burden on the resources of the relatives.
 Fornication can contribute to the spread of sexually transmitted
infections.
 A sexual relationship between two people, who are not married to each
other, can break up easily. They can also easily become unfaithful to
each other. No matter how much time the sexual relationship lasts for,
one partner can easily leave and start a relationship with someone else.
 Fornication involves becoming sexually intimate with someone without
any formal or legal agreement bonding the two people in the
relationship. As a result, the sexual partners do not have the same
rights and responsibilities towards each other that a married couple
would have. For example, one does not have the right to inherit
property on the death of one’s partner, unless he or she has said it in a
will.

RAPE

Rape is the crime of forcing someone to have sex. Both males and females can
be raped.

Moral implications of rape

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  Rape is considered morally wrong and a crime in most countries because
it violates the person’s right to say no to sex and to choose whom to have
sexual intercourse with.
 Rape puts the victim at risk of being infected with STI’s including HIV.
Currently HIV has no known cure and can be a life threatening infection. A
victim can die from AIDS.
 It causes emotional and mental trauma to the victim. This can damage the
person’s self – esteem and self – confidence. The person may become
withdrawn.
 Female, who are raped by men, often lose trust in men. As a result, this
may affect their sexual and social relationships with other men.
 Rape usually involves the use of violence in order to force the victim to
have sexual intercourse with the rapist. Violence is considered morally
wrong.
 Some victims of rape are forced to hide the fact that they were raped
because they fear being blamed for being raped, being stigmatized, or
losing the chance of getting married.

INCEST

Incest refers to sexual activity between family members who are closely related
by blood, for example, brothers and sisters, parents and children. According to
the law in Botswana, incest is having sexual intercourse with someone who is
one’s grandchild, child, brother, sister or parent.

Moral implications of incest

 Incest is considered morally wrong and unacceptable conduct in most

societies.
 Incest can cause emotional and mental trauma to the victim especially if
the victim is a child or did not give consent to have sex with the other
person. As a result, some may find it difficult to form stable relationships.
 Incest usually involves an older person having sex with a much younger
relative. The young person becomes engaged in a sexual relationship at a
young age which may harm their sexual health.
 It brings shame to the family. It may also make the victim of the incest
feel ashamed, even if they are not to blame for what happened to them.
This is because most societies and cultures consider incest as an immoral
conduct.
 Children born as a result of incest have a higher risk of suffering from
mental and physical disabilities because close relatives have the same
genes. These disabilities can make them have a poor quality of life. For
example, they may never be able to go to school or work.
 Incest can result in conflict between family members. For example, when
a father has sex with his daughter, conflict may arise between:
 The mother and the daughter. The mother may blame the daughter
for having sex with her father, while the daughter may blame the
mother for not protecting her from her father.

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  The man and his wife because the wife may blame him for abusing
their daughter and may even divorce him.
 The man and other family members who disapprove of and
conderm his behaviour.

MASTURBATION

Remember in chapter three of this book, we said masturbation is stimulating the

genitals with one’s hands, in order to achieve sexual pleasure. Self masturbation
involves stimulating oneself, while mutual masturbation involves two people
stimulating each other.

Moral implications of masturbation

 Some people believe that sexual pleasure should be achieved only with a
partner. They consider masturbation as a selfish sexual practice therefore
immoral.
 Some religions teaches that the only morally acceptable reason for having
sex is to procreate and that sex should only take place within marriage.
They consider masturbation as morally wrong because it does not lead to
procreation.
 Other people believe that masturbation is morally acceptable because it
does not cause any physical or mental harm to individuals. It is a natural
way of releasing sexual tension. They argue that masturbation has many
advantages. For example:
 Masturbation can help young people wait until they are emotionally
and mentally mature to have sexual intercourse.
 It can help people deal with their sexual desires without involving
another person.
 Masturbation can help to control the spread of STI’s, including HIV.

PROSTITUTION

Prostitution is the act of engaging in sexual activities for payment in cash or in

kind. Prostitution is also known as commercial sex work. A person who offers
sexual services for payment is called a prostitute or commercial sex worker.
Both men and women can be commercial sex workers.

Moral implications of prostitution

 Many people consider prostitution to be an immoral sexual practice

because it involves buying and selling sex whereas, sex should only take
place within a loving relationship between two people.
 Prostitution dehumanizes sexual relations. The prostitute and the client
usually do not know, care about, or love each other. The prostitute is

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 concerned about getting paid and the client is only concerned about
gaining sexual pleasure.
 Prostitutes and their clients are not respected by other people in the
society.
 Prostitution puts both prostitute and the client at a higher risk of
becoming infected with sexually transmitted infections such as HIV
because some clients demand and are willing to pay a higher fee for
unprotected sex.
 Some prostitutes and people who pay them for sexual services have steady
sexual partners or are married. Prostitution undermines faithfulness in a
sexual relationship, especially marriage.
 In many countries prostitution is a crime. Prostitutes are vulnerable to
abuse and exploitation by their clients because they are engaged in an
illegal sexual practice and may be afraid to report the abuse to the police.

BESTIALITY

Bestiality refers to a person having sex with an animal.

Usually cases of bestiality involve using domestic animals such as dogs, cows,
goats, and donkeys.

Moral implications of bestiality

 Bestiality is considered immoral because it is against the order of nature.
It is unnatural for people to have sex with animals and people who engage
in bestiality are regarded as being abnormal or mentally disturbed. In
most countries, including Botswana bestiality is a crime.
 Bestiality is regarded as abuse of animals because animals cannot give
consent to have sex with human beings.
 Religions teach that bestiality is wrong and sinful, therefore it is immoral
to have sex with an animal and those who engage in it are considered
sinners.

SODOMY
Sodomy is another term for anal sexual intercourse. It is defined as a sexual act
in which a man puts his penis in to somebody else’s anus for sexual pleasure. A
man can have anal sexual intercourse with another man or with a woman.

Moral implications of sodomy

 Some people believe that sodomy is unnatural because biologically the

anus is not meant for sexual intercourse but for excretion of faeces.
Sodomy is therefore considered as morally wrong and unacceptable sexual
practice. In some countries, including Botswana, sodomy is a crime
punishable by law.
 Some religions consider sodomy as immoral and sinful because it does not
allow procreation and is condemned by God as sinful.
 Sodomy puts sexual partners at a higher risk of contracting sexually
transmitted infections.

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PAEDOPHILIA
Paedophilia refers to the condition of adults being sexually attracted to and
engaging in sexual activities with young children. A person who commits the act
of paedophilia is known as a paedophile.

Moral implications of paedophilia

 Paedophilia is considered immoral because it is the sexual abuse of

children who are not sexually mature and old enough to give consent to
have sex with an adult.
 Children can suffer from emotional and mental trauma as a result of being
sexually abused by an adult. This is because children are not emotionally
and mentally mature to engage in sexual activity.
 Paedophilia can put the health and life of young children in danger. They
may suffer from internal physical injuries and become infected with
sexually transmitted infections such as HIV.
 Often, those who sexually abuse children are people who are close to them
and their families. They are usually people the children and their families
trust. One reason why paedophilia is considered immoral is because the
paedophiles abuse the trust the child and his or her family has in him or
her.
 Paedophilia can lead to murder because after having sex with a child, a
paedophile may kill the child in order to prevent the child from identifying
his or her abuser.

DEFILEMENT

To defile means to make something dirty or no longer pure. Defilement is the

act of having sex with an underage child. When adults have sex with
underage children they are believed to be defiling them because a child is
sexually pure.

Moral implications of defilement

 Defilement is regarded as sexual abuse of children because usually it

involves adults forcing them to engage in early sexual acts. Any sexual
abuse of children is considered immoral.
 Defilement exposes children to sexually transmitted infections,
including HIV. Some children may become infected with HIV and
develop aids and die.
 Defilement destroys the future of a child. Children who have reached
puberty may fall pregnant. As a result, they become single mothers at a
very young age and are forced to drop out of school. Some may never
return to school to continue their education and are limited to low
paying jobs later in life.
 Children can suffer from emotional and mental trauma as a result of
being sexually abused by an adult. Children are not emotionally and
mentally mature to engage in sexual activity.

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  Defilement can have a negative impact on a child’s future sexual life
when they become adults. Some may find it difficult to form healthy
sexual relationships because of the physical and emotional trauma of
being sexually abused.
 Defilement can cause internal physical injuries, especially if the child is
very young.

SEXUAL VIOLENCE
Sexual violence refers to any sexual act or practice that involves one person (the
perpetrator) forcing, hurting or abusing another person (the victim). Examples
of sexual practices that can involve violence by a perpetrator against a victim
are: rape, incest, paedophilia, defilement, sexual harassment, and sexual
slavery.

Although both males and females can be victims and perpetrators of sexual
violence, often it is females who are the victims and males the perpetrators. The
perpetrator of sexual violence can be someone the victim knows or a stranger.

CONSEQUENCES OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE

Sexual violence has immediate and long – term consequences for the victim, the
perpetrator and the families of both the perpetrator and the victim.

THE VICTIMS

CONSEQUENCES OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE ON THE VICTIMS.

 Victims are at a higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted
infections including HIV.
 If the victim is a woman, she may become pregnant. The pregnancy
will be unintended or unwanted and as a result, she may risk her life
and health by undergoing an unsafe abortion.
 Victims may suffer physical injuries, for example, a woman may
suffer injuries to her reproductive system.
 Victims may suffer from stress and depression because of their
traumatic experiences
 Damages the victim’s self-esteem and self confidence.
 Victims of sexual violence may be stigmatized and face rejection by
their partners, husbands families and communities
 It can lead to murder of the victim

CONSEQUENCES ON THE PERPETRATOR

 May be imprisoned if found guilty of such an act

 May loose their jobs
 The perpetrator may contract sexually transmitted infections including
HIV
 It brings shame and upon the family and community as a result the
perpetrators family and community may reject him or her

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIFE

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Marriage is a legally approved union between two individuals, most commonly
of the opposite sex

REASONS FOR MARRIAGE

People marry for different reasons. They may marry for personal social, religious
or economic reasons.

a) PERSONAL REASONS
-Feel they area deeply in love with their partners and wants to show or prove
their love by making a long life commitment to their partners.

-it is a safe environment for procreation and nurturing of children

Believe that sex and procreation are only morally acceptable within marriage.
They get married in order to start a family in a morally acceptable way.

-Believe that being faithful to each other in marriage can reduce the risk of
contracting STi’s especially HIV.

-makes the relationship secure , especially for women

-wants to become well known for example marrying a famous or popular
musician

B) SOCIAL REASONS

It is norm for adults to marry at a certain age within their community, their
families and friends may put pressure on them to marry.

They want to continue the family lineage; in many societies it is the sons born
within wedlock to carry the family name.

Marriage in most communities gives married people special rights and status,
for example in Botswana only married people re allowed to attend a marriage
custom called patlo.

C) ECONOMIC REASONS
some people marry in order to gain financial security. They usually someone
who has more money than them and is therefore able to provide for all the
family needs and wants

some people marry in order to have a higher standard of living than they would
have on their own

in some societies children born out of wedlock are not allowed to inherit their
parents property and wealth. People may therefore marry to ensure that when
they die their children become the rightful heirs of their property and wealth

D) RELIGIOUS REASONS

Religions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism teach that

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 - sex should only happen within marriage, therefore followers of such
religions may marry in order to obey the teachings o their religions
- Procreation should only happen within marriage and that it is wrong to
have children before marriage. Followers may marry in order to avoid
having children out of wedlock

THE MORAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF DIFFERENT

TYPES OF MARRIAGE

MONOGAMY
- it means having one spouse at a time
- when a person marries one partner
MORAL IMPLICATIONS
-It requires total commitment to ones partner and therefore they are likely to
trust and respect each other
- monogamy requires sexual exclusiveness therefore the couple is expected to be
faithful to each other and reduce the spread of STI’s including HIV.
- in many societies there are more man than women therefore it means that
some women will never have a chance to marry and as a result they are forced
to engage in premarital sex and to become single mothers

SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS
- It is the only socially and legally accepted type of marriage. If a person
marries more than one person at a time, he or she would be guilty of a
crime called bigamy.
- Helps control the number of children a couple can have
- The couple can remain childless if one or both of them are infertile.

ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS

- It is likely to be financially manageable because they may have a small

family and the family resources are mainly used to provide for this family,
and can have a higher standard of living as a result.
- It is easier to ensure that all the children have a share of the wealth that
the parents leave when they die.
- The death of a spouse who is the main breadwinner may result in poverty

POLYGAMY
- It means being married to more than one partner.

There are two kinds of polygamy; Polygyny – which means when a man has more
than one wife and Polyandry- which means when a woman has more than one
husband

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF POLYGAMY

- in some religions or cultures it is moral to have many children. In Muslim

culture, children are seen as a blessing from god.

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 - Some cultures say sex with more than one partner is immoral
- The risk of contracting STI’s are very high as there are multiple sexual
partners
- Older wife’s and children may be neglected for younger ones
- There may be less chance of adultery

SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS

- High status comes with a big family in traditional communities

- It is more certain that the family name will be carried throughout many
generations
- Jealousy and competition are common as spouses fight for attention and
resources

ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS

- A big family provides labour, security and child and old age care
- Poorer families may be unable to care properly for all members
- Division of property may be a problem if the head/breadwinner dies
-
MARRIAGE IN COMMUNITY OF PROPERTY
Marriage in community of property means a husband and wife jointly own all the
property they each had before marriage, as well as any property they may
acquire during the marriage
MORAL IMPLICATIONS

 Co ownership of property suggests that there is love and commitment in

the marriage.
 It reduces greediness and selfishness between spouses
 When one spouse dies there nay be no conflicts over inheritance because
the remaining spouse and children are the rightful beneficiaries
 Some people may take advantage marriage in community of property.
There are people who marry in order to inherit the property of their
spouses. Others may marry to benefit from the spouses wealth
 Disputes over ownership of property may result when marriage partners
divorce
 Co-ownership of property may encourage both spouses to take care of
their property and avoid misusing it
 If one spouse is financially irresponsible the family may loose all its
property in order to pay any debts that he or she may have.

MARRIAGE OUT OF COMMUNITY OF PROPERTY

Marriage out of community of property means when the husband and wife do
not have joint ownership of property and are not responsible for each others
debts

MORAL IMPLICATIONS

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 - The concern of individual accumulation of property may become more
important than the marriage itself. spouses may become more concerned
about accumulating property and forget to give each other attention
- It can result in an unhealthy competition between the husband and the
wife, such competition can results in conflicts that may lead to divorce
- It may encourage selfishness. A person may not allow his or her spouse to
take or use what belongs to them
- spouses that feels forced to marry out of community of property, may think
that their spouses does not trust or love them enough to share what they
have with them. They may doubt that the marriage is a life long
commitment
- the death of a spouse may result in inheritance disputes over jointly
owned property. This may happen if there is no proof that the property
was jointly paid for and owned.

TEENAGE PREGNANCY

Teenage pregnancy refers to the pregnancy of girls from the age of 13 to 19

years old.

FACTORS LEADING TO TEENAGE PREGNANCY

PEER PRESSURE
Some teenagers are influenced by their peers to engage in early sexual acts.
Those who are unable to resist such negative peer pressure may end up falling
pregnant.

INFLUENCE OF THE MASS MEDIA

Many people believe that the mass media influences people’s behaviour,
especially young people. By seeing people engaging in sexual activity in films,
television shows, in magazines and on the internet, some teenagers can be
influenced to engage in sex.

CURIOSITY ABOUT SEX

Many teenagers are curious to know about sex. They may go on to have sexual
intercourse in order to satisfy their curiosity and end falling pregnant as a result

LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE PROPER USE OF

CONTRACEPTIVES
Some teenagers do not know how to use contraceptives correctly. E.g. condoms.
As a result of incorrect use of the contraceptive some teenage girls become
pregnant

USE OF ILLEGAL DRUGS AND ALCOHOL

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Some teenagers do use illegal drugs such as marijuana and drink alcohol. When
they are drunk or high on drugs, they are likely to indulge in risk behaviours
including unprotected sex which may lead to teenage pregnancy.

LACK OF ACCESS TO CONTRACEPTIVES

It is sometimes difficult for teenager’s to access contraceptives. This can be due
to them feeling embarrassed to buy condoms in public places such as shops, or
fear being judged as being immoral by adults and peers when they collect
contraceptives from a clinic. At times it may simply due to that contraceptives
are just not accessible in their locality. This lack of access may lead teenagers
into having unprotected sex and then become pregnant

Other factors may include the following

- myths about sex
- older men who entice young girls
- lack of assertiveness
- rape and sexual abuse
- poverty and the need for money for cause young girls to become sex
workers

EFFECTS OF TEENAGE PREGNANCY

1. ON THE VICTIM (THE PREGNANT TEENAGER)

Drop out of school

A pregnant teenager has to drop out of school until after she gives birth and is
physically ready to resume her studies. However not all teen mothers do return
to school for some having a baby is the end of their formal schooling. This
affects the kind of jobs they get in future. Many end up in working in low paying
jobs because they do not have the necessary qualifications to get better paying
jobs

RISK OF COMPLICATIONS DURING PREGNANCY AND DELIVERY

Although teenagers are able to fall pregnant their bodies are still, growing and
not mature enough to cope with the demands pregnancy places on the body.
Teenagers are at a higher risk of developing complications during the delivery of
the baby

EMOTIONAL EFFECT
Teenagers may suffer emotionally because pregnant teenagers are often
stigmatized. Some of them may be rejected by their families and have little or no
support during the pregnancy and the baby is born. This is because some
parents may be embarrassed and reluctant to take on the extra costs of looking
after the pregnant teen and her baby

RISKS OF CONTRACTING DISEASES

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Teenage pregnancy is a consequence of having unprotected sex. A teenager can
become infected with sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) including HIV. The
baby may also become infected.

LOSS OF FREEDOM
A teen mother has to spend time taking care of her baby. She has to take full
responsibiliti9es of motherhood at an early age. As a result she has less time to
spend with her friends and to enjoy life as a young person.

POVERTY
Teenage pregnancy can lead to poverty especially for those girls who were not
able to resume their studies and those that are from poor family background.

There is a greater chance of the girl remaining unmarried even if the girl did not
want to, after having an unplanned pregnancy, due to the attitudes in the
society.

2. ON THE CULPRIT

HE HAS TO PROVIDE FOR THE CHILDS NEEDS

According to the law of Botswana a man has to pay for the child’s needs even if
he does not intend to marry the mother of his child. The courts can set the
amount of the money he has to pay the mother of the child every month. If he
fails to make the payments he can be jailed.

HE MAY FACE A CHARGE OF DEFILEMENT

If the teenage girl is a minor (a person under 16 years) and the culprit is an
adult, he may be arrested and charged with defilement.

HE MAY BE BLAMED BY THE FAMILY OF THE TEENAGE GIRL

This is because the teenager’s family may feel that he has ruined their child’s
future more especially when the teenager is a student.

TEENAGE PREGNANCY MAY CAUSE CONFLICTS AMONG MARRIED

PEOPLE
If the culprit is married, this may cause conflicts between him and his wife
because it means he was being unfaithful. It may even lead to divorce.
If the culprit is also a teenager, he may be affected in the following ways.
He may be forced to drop out of school and if he does not return to school to
complete his studies, this may affect his future negatively.
He may feel embarrassed about becoming a father at such a young age.
He may become emotionally stressed because it means he had unprotected sex
and may have exposed himself to the risk of becoming infected with STI’s,
including HIV.

3. THE FAMILIES

When a teenage girl falls pregnant both the family of the girl and the culprit are
affected.

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Below are some of the effects.

IT MAY BRING SHAME TO THE FAMILY

The family may feel embarrassed to have their teenage daughter fall pregnant
or their teenage son become a father at such a young age.

FAMILIES CARRY THE BURDEN OF CARING FOR THE CHILD

Most teenagers depend on their families to provide them with everything they
need. Usually, the baby lives with the teen mother and her family, and they bear
most of the responsibility of caring for the child. If the culprit is a teenager, his
family may help provide financially for his child. However, sometimes the baby
is left with the culprit and his family. They have to care for the child.

MAY RESULT IN CONFLICTS BETWEEN PARENTS

In some families, when their teenage daughter falls pregnant, the father and
mother of the teenager may blame each other for not being good role models or
providing proper guidance to the child. This may lead to conflicts between the
parents.

THE FAMILY OF THE CULPRIT MAY HAVE TO PAY COMPENSATION TO

THE FAMILY OF TEENAGE GIRL
Culturally, the family of the culprit has to pay a fine to the girl’s family for
damaging her.
In the past the payment was in the form of cow (kgomo ya tlhagela). Nowadays,
money can be paid instead.

4. THE SOCIETY

LOSS OF FINANCIAL RESOURCES

The government of Botswana spends a lot of money on the education of young
people.
When pregnant teenagers drop out of school, they are allowed to return to
school. As a result, the government has to spend additional money to enable
them to repeat the year they missed while on maternity leave. The money which
could have been spent on other developments is used to pay for additional
educational, maternity and child care costs.

NEGATIVE IMPACT ON HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

Each country needs citizens who are educated and skilled. However teenage
pregnancy may result in some teenagers dropping from school and not being
able to continue with their studies. If a teenager does not return to school, her
education will be incomplete.
Society will not benefit fully from her potential talents and abilities because her
education is incomplete.

Some of those who continue with their studies after pregnancy may not be able
to perform to their potential because they may have to divide their attention
between child caring and their studies. As a result of this, the country loses

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potential people who could be educated and skilled to contribute to the
development of their country.

INCREASES POVERTY LEVELS IN SOCIETY

Some teenagers who fall pregnant do not go back to school to complete their
education. They end up either being unemployed or working in low paying jobs
because they do not have the necessary qualifications to get better paying jobs.
As a result, they are more likely to live in poverty and depend on government
social welfare programmes for survival.

SINGLE PARENTHOOD
Teenage pregnancy is often unplanned. As a result, the number of single
mothers and fathers in society increases. Children of teenagers usually face
many challenges growing up because most teens do not have adequate
parenting skills.

STRATEGIES TO PREVENT TEENAGE PREGNANCY

PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE SEX EDUCATION TO LEARNERS

Young people should be taught about the importance of sexual abstinence and
also about contraceptives, especially condoms, and their proper use. Condoms,
if used properly, can prevent both pregnancy and sexually transmitted
infections. Comprehensive sex education will enable young people who choose
not to abstain, to make informed choices about how to prevent pregnancy.

ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING

Teenagers should be taught how to communicate and behave assertively so that

they are able to resist negative peer pressure to become sexually active at a
young age.

IMPROVING TEENAGERS ACCESS TO CONTRACEPTIVES

Teenagers should be able to access contraceptives easily. For example, condoms

should be available where teenagers collect them at times that are convenient to
them. They should also be located where they would not be ashamed to collect
them, for example, condom dispensers can be put in toilets instead of a public
reception area.

PEER EDUCATION AND COUNSELLING

Teenagers are more easily influenced by their peers than by adults. Peer
education and counseling groups such as Peer education and Counselling for
Teenagers (PACT) can be used to educate and counsel teenagers on sexual
issues such as sexual abstinence, the correct use of contraception, and the
negative effects of teenage pregnancy.

GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING BY THE FAMILY

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Families should be encouraged to educate their children about sexual issues
such as sexual abstinence, the effects of teenage pregnancy, the risk of
contracting STI’s including HIV, and contraception, in order to help them make
informed decisions and avoid becoming teenage mothers and fathers.

PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS ABOUT TEENAGE PREGNANCY

The mass media, such as television and newspapers can be used to raise
awareness about the negative effects of teenage pregnancy and ways of
preventing teenage pregnancy. This may help communities become more
involved in influencing young people to avoid situations that lead to teenage
pregnancy.

PROVIDING RECREATION FACILITIES FOR TEENAGERS

Communities should be provided with adequate recreational facilities for young

people, for example, sports facilities, libraries, and internet cafes. Such facilities
can help young people to make friends and socialize in safe ways other than
engaging in sexual activities, especially during the school holidays.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

The penalties for making teenage girls, especially those under the age of 16,
pregnant should be increased. Men, who make teenage girls pregnant, should
not only be made to care for the baby, but also be made responsible ensuring
the girl goes back to school. He should be made to pay for the remaining years
of her secondary school education. This may help deter men from having sexual
relationships with teenage girls. Defilement laws should be enforced more
effectively.

CONTRACEPTION

WHAT IS CONTRACEPTION?

Contraception refers to any method that is used to prevent pregnancy. People

choose to prevent pregnancy for different reasons. These reasons include:

 They have chosen to remain childless and do not want to have a child.
 Child spacing. They want one child to reach a certain age before they have
another one.
 The want to limit the number of children they have.
 They want to have a child at a time of their choice, for example when they
feel ready emotionally, physically and financially.

TYPES OF CONTRACEPTION

There are modern and traditional types of contraception.

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  Modern types of contraception involve the use of artificial devices, medical
drugs, or surgery to prevent pregnancy.
 Traditional types of contraception use natural methods of preventing
pregnancy. No artificial devices are used.

Modern contraception Traditional Contraception

Condoms, Diaphragms, Sexual abstinence,
Inter – uterine device (IUD). Rhythm method,
Contraceptive pills, Withdrawal method,
Spermicidal. Prolonged breast feeding
Vasectomy for men Traditional herbal medicines
Tubal ligation for women. Taboos concerning the males
Depo-Provera association with females
Ru86- the morning after pill

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF MODERN AND TRADITIONAL METHODS OF

CONTRACEPTION

CONDOMS
Both male and female condoms are used as contraceptive devices. The condom
traps the sperms and prevents them from reaching the uterus. For the condom
to be effective it has to be correctly used.

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF CONDOMS

 If effectively used it can prevent pregnancy and transmission of STI’s.

 The male condom empowers the male and the female condom empowers
the female to have responsibility in birth control and family planning.
 It is a temporary form of contraception with few side effects.
 If it is not properly used it may burst and lead to unplanned pregnancy
and STI’s.

THE DIAPHRAGM
The diaphragm is a rubber disc placed in the vagina before sexual intercourse. It
covers the cervix in order to stop the sperms from entering the uterus. For it to
be more effective in preventing pregnancy it has to be used with the spermicide.

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF USING THE DIAPHRAGM

 It helps in preventing unplanned pregnancy.

 Its effectiveness in preventing pregnancy can be doubted because for it to
be more effective it has to be used with the spermicide.
 It cannot prevent the transmission of STI’s.

THE INTRA UTERINE DEVICE (IUD)

This is a device made of copper that is inserted in the women’s uterus. The
purpose of this device is to prevent the fertilized egg from settling in the uterus.

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The IUD destroys the fertilized egg when it tries to settle in the uterus. Women
using this contraceptive device have to go for regular check ups, to find out if
the IUD is still rightly positioned because if it moves out of position it cannot be
effective in preventing the egg to settle in the uterus.

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE IUD

 If effectively used it can prevent pregnancy.

 It cannot prevent the spread of STI’s.
 It needs a woman to go for regular checkups because failure to go may
result in unplanned pregnancy.
 It destroys the fertilized egg. Some people believe that destroying the
fertilized egg is the same as abortion.

THE CONTRACEPTIVE PILL

The contraceptive pill contains some chemicals that help to prevent pregnancy.
The chemicals are said to have the same effects as the oestrogen and
progesterone hormones which when mixed together suppress or prevent
ovulation resulting in inability to conceive. There are various types of the
contraceptive pills.

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF USING THE CONTRACEPTIVE PILL

 If properly used it can prevent pregnancy.

 It cannot prevent transmission of STI’s, including HIV.
 It has some side effects; prolonged use can increase the risk of breast and
cervix cancer in some users.

CONTRACEPTIVE INJECTIONS
Contraceptive injections are given to women only and contain hormones that
prevent pregnancy for up to three months. An example of an injectable
contraceptive drug is called Depo–Provera.

It prevents pregnancy by:

 Stopping the ovaries from releasing an egg every month.

 Making the mucus in the cervix thicker. This makes it difficult for the
sperm to reach the egg.
 Making the lining of the uterus thinner. This makes it difficult for a
fertilized egg to attach itself to the wall of the uterus.

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF USING CONTRACEPTIVE INJECTIONS

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  If injections are received at the correct times, it can prevent pregnancy
and has a low risk of failure.
 It cannot prevent transmission of STI’s, including HIV.
 It takes a long time for normal fertility to return. In some women this
takes up to a year.
 Using contraceptive drugs such as Depo – Provera continuously for many
years, can lead to loss of calcium in the bones and as a result, the bones
break easily.

SPERMICIDES
This is a chemical in the form of cream, foam or gel which kills sperms, The
spermicide is placed in the vagina and can also be used with a diaphragm.

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF USING THE SPERMICIDE

 It can be effective if properly used.

 It does not prevent transmission of sexually transmitted infections.

VASECTOMY AND TUBAL LIGATION

Vasectomy is a surgical operation in which the man’s sperm ducts are cut and
sealed. This is to ensure that no sperm passes to fertilize an ovum. This method
of contraception does not in any way interfere the man’s sexual desire, erection
and ejaculation. During ejaculation the man’s semen only contains fluid but no
sperms.

Tubal ligation is a surgical operation in which the woman’s oviducts are tied or
cut. This prevents sperms reaching and fertilizing the ova. This operation does
not affect the ovaries therefore menstruation still continues since the ovum is
released every month.
MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF VASECTOMY AND TUBAL LIGATION

 If the surgery is not done properly, it can lead to unplanned pregnancies.

 Although vasectomy and Tubal ligation can be reversed, it is difficult,
expensive and success rates vary. One needs to be sure that they no
longer want to have children now and in the future before one does it.
 Vasectomy and Tubal ligation do not prevent the transmission of STI’s,
including HIV.
 Vasectomy and Tubal ligation are not surgery done to cure any illness but
to control fertility. Any form of surgery has a risk of resulting in
complications that cause other health problems. Although the risk is small
for vasectomy and Tubal ligation, it is still important that people who
choose this type of contraception should be aware of the risks.

SEXUAL ABSTINENCE
Sexual abstinence involves retraining from any sexual activity. It is considered
as traditional or natural contraception. Remember we discussed sexual
abstinence in chapter 1 of this book.

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MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF SEXUAL ABSTINENCE

 Sexual abstinence is judged to be morally right behavior for certain groups

of people. For example, in many cultures and religions, unmarried people
are expected to abstain from sex until they marry. Women who have just
given birth (batsetsi) are usually expected to abstain from having sex for a
given period of time. People who disobey such sexual taboos and norms
are considered as behaving in morally unacceptable ways.
 Sexual abstinence is the only 100 percent certain way of avoiding
pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections including HIV. It can help
individuals avoid the problems of unwanted pregnancies and becoming
infected with sexually transmitted infections.
 Sexual abstinence requires self – control. Those who abstain may gain a
lot of respect from other members of the society. Those who fail to
abstain, can end up having unplanned pregnancies.

THE RHYTHM METHOD

This method of birth control is based on the women’s menstruation cycle. A

woman is only fertile for about 7-8 days in a month. This means there are days
when a woman is not likely to fall pregnant. It is important to understand that
the effectiveness of this method depends on keeping a careful record of the
woman’s menstruation cycle and knowing exactly when she is not fertile. This is
not easy to do.

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE RHYTHM METHOD

 The rhythm method offers no protection against sexually transmitted

infections, including HIV. Couple who use his method should be sure that
they are healthy and re always faithful to each other.
 Couples have to accept that, this method has a higher risk of leading to
unplanned pregnancy than most other contraceptive methods. They should
be prepared to support each other if that happens.

THE WITHDRAWAL METHOD

The withdrawal method, also known as coitus interruptus, involves the man
withdrawing his penis from the woman’s vagina just before ejaculation.

MORAL IMPLICATION OF THE WITHDRAWAL METHOD

 Couples have to accept that, this method has a higher risk of leading to
unplanned pregnancy than most other contraceptive method. They should
be prepared to support each other if that happens.
 This method offers protection against sexually transmitted infections,
including HIV. Couples who use this method should ensure that they do
not have STI’s and are always faithful to each other.

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  A woman is at the mercy of the man who might not be motivated to
prevent pregnancy.
 The effectiveness of the method in preventing pregnancy depends on the
man knowing himself, being able to exercise self – control and being
motivated to prevent pregnancy.

PROLONGED BREAST FEEDING

Prolonged breast feeding is known to help prevent pregnancy. Breast feeding a

baby frequently and regularly, stimulates the body to produce a chemical that
stops the release of a woman’s eggs, and delays ovulation, and as a result, a
woman does not fall pregnant.
In some cultures, including cultures in Botswana, women used prolonged breast
feeding as a method of birth control. A baby could be breastfed for about two
years.

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF PROLONGED BREAST FEEDING

 It is a risky method because after six moths, ovulation can occur without
menstruation. A woman may not know she has ovulated and fall pregnant
as a result. In addition, it only works if the baby is breastfed frequently
and regularly.
 Couples should accept that there is possibility of pregnancy while the
baby is still being breastfed.
 This method offers no protection against sexually transmitted infections,
including HIV. Couples who use this method should ensure that they do
not have STI’s and are always faithful to each other.

USING TRADITIONAL HERBAL MEDICINES

Some people use traditional herbal medicines prescribed by traditional doctors

(dingaka tsa Setswana), which they believe prevent pregnancy.

MOST IMPLICATIONS OF THE USE OF SOME TRADITIONAL HERBAL

MEDICINES

 Most traditional herbs have not been scientifically proven to be effective in

preventing pregnancy. There is therefore a high risk of a woman becoming
pregnant.
 Traditional medicines offer no protection against sexually transmitted
infections, including HIV.

DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS ON CONTRACEPTION

There are different viewpoints on contraception. People hold different views on

questions such as:

 Is it morally right or wrong to use contraception to prevent pregnancy?

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  Are modern types of contraception morally acceptable or not?
 Is it morally acceptable for teenagers to use contraception?
 Is it morally acceptable to use condoms to prevent the spread of sexually
transmitted infections, including HIV?
 Does the use of modern contraception encourage people to be
promiscuous because they know that they prevent pregnancy and in the
case of condoms, also protect them from STI’s infections?

The viewpoints on contraception vary because people are influenced by their

personal needs, religious beliefs and teachings, as well as by ideas about human
rights and what is considered morally acceptable in the world today.

Below are some views that are expressed about contraception.

HUMAN RIGHTS POINT OF VIEW

 Every person has a right to control over their own fertility and to enjoy sex
without the fear of pregnancy.
 Every person has a right to decide the type of contraception they prefer to
use.

MORAL POINT OF VIEW

 Condoms offer double protection. They prevent both pregnancy and STI’s,
including HIV. It is therefore morally wrong to deny people access to
condoms which help protect their health.
 All the methods of birth control are morally right except the IUD. This is
because IUD’s allows fertilization but prevent implantation in the uterus.
 Preventing unwanted pregnancy is morally right. One does not bring into
the world a human life that one does not want or is not able to provide for.
 Tubal ligation and vasectomy are morally wrong because they involve
damaging parts of the human body.
 Sex is not only for procreation. The use of contraception is morally
acceptable because it allows couples to avoid pregnancy while having sex
for other reasons such as for pleasure and creating an intimate bond in
their relationship.
 Family planning is the morally right thing to do. This enables families to
give the children they choose to have the best care possible. It protects
the health of women and improves the quality of their lives.

RELIGIOUS POINTS OF VIEW

Religious such as Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism accept that it is morally
acceptable for their followers to use both modern and traditional types of
contraception. However, Islam forbids vasectomy and only allows Tubal ligation
if pregnancy would put the life of a woman in danger.

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In Christianity, most denominations also allow their followers to use both
modern and traditional types of contraception. The Roman Catholic Church is an
exception.

 The Catholic Church teaches that using natural methods of contraception

for example, the rhythm method and sexual abstinence is morally
acceptable. However, using modern methods of contraception is morally
wrong and sinful. The church also teaches that contraception should only
be used within marriage and for morally acceptable reasons such as, child
spacing. The Church is also against the use of condoms to protect one –
self from sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Instead, the
Church feels people should practice sexual abstinence, avoid pre – marital
sex and be faithful to their spouses.
 Christian Churches that allow followers to use modern and traditional
types of contraception have different views about when it is morally
acceptable to use contraception. Some allow contraception as long as it is
used within marriage and to help a couple with child spacing. Others
emphasize that it should not be used to help a person to remain childless
or for protection against the consequences of promiscuous sexual
behavior.

DEATH AND BEREAVEMENT

What is death?
Death is the end of life
Death is when cells, organs and tissues of the body stop functioning.

CAUSES OF DEATH
- Old age
- Diseases
- Abortion (backstreet)
- Murder
- Accidents
- War
- Capital punishment
- Natural disasters e.g earth quake, drought, floods, fire e.t.c

THE EFFECTS OF DEATH ON THE BEREAVED FAMILY AND SOCIETY

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Bereavement is the state of sorrow over the death of a loved one. People who
have lost a loved one due to death are said to be bereaved. The death of a
person has many negative effects on the family of the deceased as well as the
society that the deceased came from. Below are some of the effects of death on
the following.

EFFECTS ON THE BEREAVED FAMILY

 Death can strengthen bonds between family members

The death of a family member can help strengthen family ties. The family comes
together to mourn the loss of their loved one. Usually family members cooperate
and make contributions in cash and in kind towards the funeral expenses. Some
members, who may not see each other often, meet and renew their relationships
as they prepare for the funeral. Children may meet other members of the
extended family for the first time.

 Emotional stress
The loss of family member due to death brings shock, trauma, confusion,
sadness and sorrow to the bereaved family. The emotional stress may
overwhelm some family members and make them suicidal.
 Orphan – hood
When both parents die, children become orphans. Other members of the family,
such as grandparents, uncles and aunts have to take care of them. They have to
use their own resources to take care of them. Some relatives may feel that the
orphans are a burden and may not be willing to take care of them. Others may
abuse them physically, emotionally, and sexually. Relatives have also been
known to take away any money and property left behind by their deceased
parents.
 Loss of breadwinner
The family may become poor if the person who has died was the main
breadwinner. For example, they may not be able to afford the basic needs of life.

 Conflicts between family members

When someone dies, conflicts in the family may occur when for example,

 A family member is blamed for causing the person’s death. They may be
suspected of having bewitched him or her.
 There are disagreements about where to bury the deceased person.
 The deceased did not leave a will and his or her relatives fight over any
property left behind. Inheritance disputes have sometimes led to family
members suing each other in the courts of law.
 Some family members do not want to cooperate and help in cash and in
kind during the funeral preparations.

 Financial strain on the family of the deceased

Some family members do not have funeral insurance to pay for the cost of the
funeral. As a result, the deceased family may have to borrow money, or use
money budgeted for something else towards funeral expenses.

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  Change in social status
As a result of the death of a spouse, the status of the remaining spouse changes.
A married woman becomes a widow and a married man becomes a widower.
When both parents, die their children become orphans.

EFFECTS ON THE SOCIETY

 Emotional effects
Members of the society may be emotionally affected by the death of a person
who was well known, popular and loved by the society such as a president, a
kgosi or a musician. For example, when the first president of Botswana, Sir
Seretse Khama died on 13 July 1980, most Batswana were very sad and
mourned his loss because they loved and respect him as a great leader of the
nation.

 Loss of educated and skilled people

The government spends a lot of money educating and training people so that
they help develop the country. The death of educated and skilled people has a
negative impact on the country. The government has to spend more money
educating and training people to replace them. This takes time and their work
experience cannot easily be replaces. For example, it takes at least seven years
to train a medical doctor.

 Decline on food production

If most of the people dying are farmers and farm workers, this may lead to a
decline in food production. Families may not have enough people to grow food.

 Break up of families
Death of parents can lead to the break –up of families as their children are taken
by different relatives, adopted or taken to orphanages. Brothers and sisters end
up growing up in different households.

 Creation of child – headed households

After the death of their parents, sometimes no one is willing to take care of
orphans. As a result, the oldest child becomes the head of the household and
becomes responsible for raising his or her younger brothers and sisters. Such a
child is often forced to drop out of school. The child may turn to prostitution and
other criminal activities in order to earn money to support the family.

 Problems of caring for orphans

The society helps care for orphans by supporting families and orphanages that
care for orphans. For example, the government of Botswana provides orphans
with a food basket every month, school uniform, and money for transport to
school. They are also exempted from paying school fees. Some non –
governmental organizations have established centres that take care of the
orphans. The centres are supported through donations in cash and in kind made
by members of the society.

 Conflicts within the society

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The death of a leader may lead to succession disputes. For instance in
Botswana, some ethic groups have experienced conflicts over who is the rightful
heir to be installed as the new kgosi.

 Increase in poverty
When breadwinners die, families may become poorer. If many families become
poorer because of the death of their breadwinners, the level of poverty in the
society increases. Government social welfare services have to support many
more people and this puts a strain on the country’s financial resources.

 Population decrease
When the death rate is higher than the birth rate the population decreases
because there are fewer people being born to replace those who have died.
THE ATTITUDES OF COMMUNITIES TOWARDS DEATH

The attitude of a community towards death is about the way the community
feels, thinks or behaves towards death. A community’s attitude towards death
may be influenced by the people’s religious beliefs and cultural traditions.
Below are some attitudes of communities towards death in Botswana.

 Although people know they will die one day, some fear death and are
reluctant to think about their own death. As a result, they are not
prepared to discuss what should happen to their property when they die
or save money for the cost of their funeral.
 The deaths are treated with respect and dignity. Death is usually marked
by funeral ceremonies and rituals that allow the deceased’s family, friends
and the community to formally say farewell to the dead person.
 Many communities think of death as being only the end of life on earth,
the spirits of the dead live on. This is why in African Traditional Religion
there is a belief in ancestral spirits or badimo. The badimo are the spirits
of people who died a long time ago but are believed to influence the lives
of the living. Christians also believe in life after death. They believe that
there is eternal life and that the souls of dead people end up either in
heaven or in hell.
 In many communities, death is accepted as inevitable because every life
ends in death. In particular, communities readily accept the death of
people in certain situations for example:
 When a person dies due to old age, usually the community accepts
that nobody lives forever and they may even celebrate the person’s
life.
 When a person is very ill and there is no hope of recovery, people
may welcome the death of the person because they feel that death
puts an end of his or her suffering and pain. They believe it enables
the dead person to rest. This is why many tombstones are written
RIP, meaning ‘Rest in Peace’.

 Most communities regret and express deep sorrow at the death of children
and young adults. This is because the continued existence of the
community depends to a large extent on the younger generation outliving

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 the older generation. People may also feel it is against the order of nature.
Older people are expected to die first. Children should bury their parents
and not parents burying their children.
 In some communities, people always want to know the cause of death.
Knowing the cause of death helps them, especially the bereaved family, to
accept and cope with their loss. Some families may request a post –
mortem examination of the dead body, while others may consult
traditional doctors in order to find out the cause of death.

SUPPORT GIVEN TO THE BEREAVED

1. SOCIAL SUPPORT (material)

 Community offer assistance like cooking

 Some members of society go out to fetch firewood which is usually used as
energy
 Some members of society go out to slaughter animals to feed visitors
during bereavement
 Some members of society lend some utensils and equipment to the
bereaved family to be used during bereavement
 Some members of society assist in digging the grave

2. ECONOMIC SUPPORT (financial)

 Members of the society and relatives offer financial assistance to the

bereaved family
 Some offer food items
 Some offer animals that are usually slaughtered during bereavement
 Some insurance companies offer assistance to families who are their
subscribers

3. EMOTIONAL SUPPORT (spiritual)

 By comforting those who are grieving; people visit and spend time with
the bereaved family until the burial takes place
 Churches offer prayers to the members of the bereaved family
 Some members of the bereaved family may be offered professional
counseling in case they are adversely affected by the loss of a family
member
 By sending messages of condolences. Friends and relatives who are
unable to attend the funeral may send messages of condolences
 Prayers may be held at the home of the deceased family regularly until the
day before the burial takes place, in some communities a prayer
vigil(tebelelo) is held the night before the burial

IMPORTANCE OF COPING WITH DEATH

- To enable the bereaved family to cope with the loss of a loved one and
avoid despairing

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Coping with death involves dealing with the feeling of grief and gradually
reaching a stage of acceptance because nothing and no one can bring back the
dead person. It is important to talk about what one is feeling so that one is not
overwhelmed by grief, despair and depression.

- To avoid damaging ones health or becoming suicidal

People who are unable to cope with death of a loved one may as a result,
behave in ways that damage their health, for example some people may begin to
abuse alcohol or drugs and they may even become suicidal

-to avoid conflicts over the cause of death

People who are unable to accept the death of a loved one as natural are less
likely to blame others for the death. For example if a family has died due to a
terrible accident, family members will not accuse each other of witchcraft.
Conflicts in the family may be avoided as a result

-To enable the bereaved family to return to their normal lives

Bereavement is processes some people take longer than other to overcome the
deep sense of grief and to begin to accept their loss. However at some point in
time, people have to stop grieving and begin to live their lives normally again.
They should be able to return to school or work and be happy again.

-to allow dependants to focus on finding acceptable ways of surviving

In case of loss of a breadwinner, dependents of the deceased person do not
become desperate. Instead they are able to ask and get the help they need. They
are abler to fin d legal; and morally acceptable ways of surviving. They don’t
need to return to prostitution, selling illegal drugs or crime to earn a living.

REASONS FOR CURBING FUNERAL EXPENSES

1. To reduce financial on the bereaved family

Avoiding unnecessary funeral expenses can help reduce the financial strain on
the bereaved family. A family would not have to get in debt in order to get the
money for the funeral.

2. To save money for the surviving dependants of the deceased

Some people die leaving young children and spouses who still need to be
provided for. It is important that most of the money and property that the
deceased leave behind should b e saved to meet their needs. For example if
most of the money is used on the funeral, the family may not be able to pay the
children’s school fees and to buy them food in future

3. To avoid conflicts in the family due to unnecessary expenses

Some family members may blame each other for the unnecessary funeral
expenses which could have been avoided. In most cases, conflicts arise when

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there are outstanding debts to be paid and family members are expected to
contribute towards the payment of the debts.

4. To help change peoples attitudes towards funeral expenses

There is need for mourners and visitors to change their expectation of what the
bereaved family should give them during the mourning period, especially in
terms of food and drink. Bereave family should also change their attitudes and
think carefully about funeral costs they incur. Families should eliminate
unnecessary costly items such as food and drink everyday after prayer, glossy
full colour funeral programmes, and then there will be no need for people to
compete and show that they too can afford expensive and lavish funerals. Those
who cannot afford expensive funerals will not come under any pressure to do
more than they can afford

WILLS
A will is a legal document indicating how one wishes his or her property to be
distributed after his or her death.

IMPORTANCE OF WRITING WILLS

1.-the property of the deceased will be distributed according to his or her

wishes
A person would be able to indicate who should and who should not inherit his or
her property and what they should get. For example a parent may choose to
leave his or her property to some of his or her children. Others may be left out
of the will. If a person dies without a will then people whom he or she did not
want to inherit could end up with his or her property

2.-a will can prevent family conflicts over the deceased property
When a person dies without a will conflicts over the inheritance of the deceased
property are more likely to arise between the children, spouse and other
relatives of the deceased

3.-it helps share out the deceased property in a fair way

As long as the deceased in her will have divided his property equally then his or
her property will be shared fairly

4.-It allows family members to benefit from the deceased property

Family members will get to benefit from the deceased property as stated in his
or her will

5.-A will can prevent relatives claiming property that does not belong to
the deceased or other people falsely claiming property that belongs to
the deceased
In a will a person can state what property belongs to them. This would help
prevent confusion as to what belongs and does not belong to the deceased.

ABORTION

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It means the pre-mature termination of the foetus from the mother’s womb or
the premature termination of pregnancy which can be a natural rejection of the
foetus or miscarriage which is referred to as a spontaneous abortion or an
induced abortion which means when the pregnancy is unnaturally terminated.

VIEW POINTS ON ABORTION

1. RELIGIOUS VIEWS POINTS

- Most religious view life as sacred and no one has the right to kill e.g. roman
Catholics believe that life begins at the moment the baby is conceived, they
believe abortion is murder and can not be allowed whatever situation.
-In Islam abortion is allowed if it endangers the life of the mother. Muslims
believes the foetus receives its soul later in pregnancy therefore abortion is
acceptable in early stages of pregnancy if there are special circumstances e.g.
when a woman have been raped.
- Other religions accept abortion under certain circumstances e.g. the life of the
unborn baby is at risk or if the child will be born with severe disabilities.
2. PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWS
Abortion can be done if;
- It threatens the life of the mother
-the child will be born with severe disabilities
-some people feel that abortion should be judged as right or wrong by peoples
own conscience.

BOTSWANA`S LAW ON ABORTION

Abortion can be ligalised in Botswana for the following reasons;
- If the Pregnancy is a result of rape, defilement or incest and the termination of
pregnancy is requested by the victim. If the victim is unable to make the
request, her next of kin or guardian can make the request
- When there is evidence that there is substantial risk that, if the baby was born
it would suffer or later develop serious physical or mental abnormality, or
disease resulting in serious handicap
- It can be done if it is carried out by a registered medical practitioner in a
government hospital
-if the girl did not give her consent to sex e.g. if she is under age or she is
mentally –disturbed.
- If the pregnancy involves risks to the life of the woman, the injury to her
physical and mental health.

COMPARING LAW IN BOTSWANA ON ABORTION WITH THAT OF

SOUTH AFRICA

ABORTION LAW IN ABORTION LAW IN SOUTH

BOTSWANA AFRICA
- does law allow abortion -allows abortion -allows abortion

- circumstances abortion - if the pregnancy is a result -allows abortion for any

allowed of rape given reason
-if the pregnancy threatens
the life of the woman
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 - when there is evidence
that the baby is likely to
develop serious mental
abnormality
Time limits on which -if pregnancy is not more -maximum time allowed
abortion is allowed than 16 weeks varies, depends on the
reason given for having
abortion e.g.
a) more than 20 weeks if
pregnant woman’s life is in
danger
b) up to 20 weeks if the
baby would be born with
severe abnormalities
Who is allowed to - doctors are allowed - up to 12 weeks a doctor
perform abortion or midwife can perform
and after 12 weeks only a
doctor can do it
Where abortions are - performed in - performed in a
performed government hospital, a government hospital or
registered private an approved medical
hospital or a clinic institution
approved for abortion

MORAL IMPLICATIONS ON ABORTION

-Some people believe that abortion is never morally right as it denies the foetus
the right to life.
- Others feel that the mother has the right to have the final choice on carrying
out abortion.
- It encourages people to engage in pre-marital, extra marital and unprotected
sex encourage promiscuity.
-it provides solution to unwanted and unplanned pregnancies
-it might leads to infertility if performed under unhygienic
- It creates moral dilemmas to the society as they will not know whether to safe
the mother or the child and if abortion is right.
- Many people regard abortion as wrong and think that it brings shame to the
whole family.
- Others say it is better to abort a child than bear a child who will suffer if the
mother is not able to support it.
- A woman who has an abortion can later feel guilty and regret it.
- It gives women freedom of choice and control over their bodies.

SUICIDE
It is the killing of oneself deliberately or on purpose which could be due to
diseases, depression, personal problems.

REASONS FOR COMMITTING SUICIDE

1. DEPRESSION
The person will always look depressed and stressed.

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2. FINANCIAL PROBLEMS
Money is a necessity in today’s’ life. People feel unhappy if they don’t have
money and that life is meaningless. Financial problems leading to suicide
include debts, job loss, and collapse of business or supporting a large family.

3. SOCIAL ISOLATION
A person may always be away from others and she/may feels he/she is not loved
and it is better when she/he dead.

4. DISEASES
Terminally ill people may decide to end their lives and those who suffer
incurable diseases.

SIGNS BY WHICH YOU CAN DETECT A TENDENCY OF SUICIDE

The warning includes the following
A) ACTION/EVENT
-drug and alcohol abuse
-night mares
-pregnancy/abortion
-parents divorce
-loss of close friend/ family members
-loss of job, money, self esteem

b) FEELINGS
-Hopelessness- one feels that there is nothing to gain
-Shame-someone hates himself/herself
-Helpless-there is nothing she/he can do
-persisted anxiety/anger-having mood swings repeatedly
c) CHANGE
- Change in personality, e.g. more withdrawn, tired, talkative, outgoing
- Change in behaviour – one cannot concentrate on a routine task
- Change in pattern of sleep- e.g. oversleeping or early sleep or late sleep
- Change in eating – e.g. overeating, loss of appetite
- Loss of interest in friends, hobbies and activities one used to enjoy

d) THREATS
- Statements like ‘how long does it take to bleed to death’
- threats like ‘I wont be around for long’
- plans like putting things in order, giving away favourite things, obtaining
and owning weapons

EFFECTS OF SUICIDE

EFFECTS ON THE INDIVIDUAL

If suicide fails
-survivor may isolate himself and others and he/she may repeat suicidal acts.
-Survivor remains with life long tormenting stigma and shame
-the victim may become mentally and physically disturbed
-Suicide leads to death that denies the right to life

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EFFECTS ON THE FAMILY

-CHILDREN LEFT AS ORPHANS

The children of the victim who committed suicide are left as orphans hence no
one to taken of them. As such they become destitute as the victim may have
been their breadwinner
-POVERTY
If the person who commits suicide was the bread winner the family may become
poor due to lack of income. Life insurances do not pay out benefits if the person
insured dies as a result of suicide. If the deceased dies whilst having a lot of
debts it puts financial strain on the family because the family has to find money
to clear the debts

-THE STATUS OF THE REMAINING SPOUSE CHANGES

If the person who commits suicide is married, the social status of the remaining
spouse changes. The remaining spouse becomes a single parent. A wife becomes
a widow and a husband becomes a widower

-THE FAMILY OF THE DECEASED MAY BE STIGMATISED

This may happen in communities where suicide is considered wrong and
immoral. The family of the person who has committed suicide may be blamed for
failing to teach their children proper ways of dealing with problems. As a result
of the stigma, the family member may find it difficult to talk about what
happened

IMPACT ON THE SOCIETY

LOSS OF SKILLED AND EDUCATED PEOPLE

Those who commit suicide may be skilled and educated and would have
contributed to the development of the country. The government would have to
spend more money training people to the jobs left by those who have committed
suicide. Loss of important labour force reduces the economic potential of a
country. For example if the society looses many professionals like doctors,
nurses and teachers due to suicide
EMOTIONAL EFFECT
Members of the society may be emotionally affected by suicide if the number of
cases is high. This can raise a lot of concern in the society
STIGMA AND SHAME
The stigma and shame surrounding suicide may affect the society due to
increased publicity and loss of wealth. Therefore the repeated or high number of
suicide cases also tarnishes the good image of the society

INCREASE IN POVERTY
If a lot of people who commit suicide are breadwinners, families in the society
can become poor. This may put a strain on government social welfare funds.

- Possible crimes like prostitution that result from the loss of a

breadwinners tarnish the name of the society

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 - It can also lead to societal breakups in cases where members of the family
or community feels that the relatives are responsible for the death or
suicide.

WAYS OF AVOIDING SUICIDE

 Being open about ones problem
People can avoid suicide by talking about their problem with people they
trust. This can help them cope with stress and depression caused by
problems they are experiencing. E.g. one may confide in a parent, a friend, a
teacher, or a social worker

 be realistic and positive in working through one’s problems

Individuals should try to develop a positive outlook towards life by
remembering that with time and help problems can be solved. Nothing stays
the same forever, problems will end

 build hospitals for terminally ill people

 Avoid being alone, isolated and keeping dangerous secret

An individual who is feeling suicidal should avoid being alone. One may
telephone or visit a friend or family member to talk about his or her
feelings and ask for help.

 establish loan assistance schemes for people with financial problems

 people with suicidal tendencies should be open to others

 Preventative and crisis counseling should be offered

 people should remember that suicide is irreversible

 people should learn to differentiate feelings and actions

Individuals should learn to differentiate between feelings and actions.
Feeling suicidal does not mean one should commit suicide

EUTHANASIA
It means an intervention to bring about gently and easy death to a person
It can be referred to as mercy killing or the painless killing of a person suffering
from an incurable and painful disease

TYPES OF EUTHANASIA
1. PASSIVE EUTHANASIA
This is the act of stopping life sustaining treatment. It does not involve the
actual doing of anything to prolong life. Relatives can ask for it if their patient is
supported by a machine and cannot have normal life without a machine.

2. ACTIVE UTHANASIA
This is when death voluntarily induced on a person. A person may ask for it or
relatives can ask for it.

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PAST AND PRESENT PRACTICES RELATED TO EUTHANASIA

1. PAST PRACTICES
 during battle severely injured warrior could be stabbed to death by a
fellow warrior in order to save him from suffering due to his injuries
 during times of severe drought very old people who could not provide for
themselves were abandoned and left to die of hunger and thirst, in order
to reduce the demand for the little food available
 babies born with severe physical defects were suffocated to death by
midwives immediately after they are born
 If a mother died in child birth and there was no one willing or able to take
care of the baby, the baby would be buried alive with the mother. This was
done because people felt that it was better for the baby to die than to
suffer without its mother

PRESENT PRACTICES ASSOCIATED WITH EUTHANASIA

 withdrawing or withholding intravenous feeding
When close family members of a patient withdraw intravenous feeding
system from a terminally ill person and when the doctor withholds
intravenous feeding their action would be associated with euthanasia
 withdrawing or withholding life support machines
When a terminally ill patient or severely injured person is taken off from a
life support machine, or if doctors do not put a patient on life support
machines, they can be said to assist the terminally ill patient to die.
 Withdrawing or withholding medical treatment
Sometimes medical practitioners withdraw or withhold medical treatment
in situations where there is no hope for a terminally patient to recover.
E.g. treatment can be withdrawn or withheld from patients who are brain
dead.
 Withholding surgery
In some cases doctors may decide not to perform surgery on a terminally
ill patient because it would not help him or her to recover. Such patients
may be kept in a hospital and be given pain killers only, to relieve pain, in
some cases the terminally ill patient may be discharged from the hospital
and has to be taken care off at home or a hospice until they die.

THE PLACE OF WILLS IN RELATION TO EUTHANASIA

A will can be written by someone stating how h/she wants to be treated incase
she/he gets involved in an accident and she cannot talk afterwards, he/she can
opt for euthanasia to avoid misery and pain. This is referred to as voluntary
active euthanasia.

A will can be done by an individual whereby he/she wishes not to be put in a life
supporting machine because it is worth nothing he/she won’t survive for long.
This is called voluntary passive euthanasia

EVALUATING THE CONCEPT OF EUTHANASIA

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The issue of euthanasia has passed a moral dilemma. Some think it helps
terminally ill people to get out of pain while others think that killing is wrong.

ARGUMENTS FOR EUTHANASIA

 It brings pain and suffering to an end

 Takes away fear of a painful death
 It is cheaper than the medicines needed to keep the patient alive
 Quality of life is more important than the length of it
 It can help shorten the grief and suffering of the patient and the family
 It helps one to die with dignity rather than the disgrace brought by long
suffering

ARGUMENTS AGAINST EUTHANASIA

- Many religions disagree with this because God is the only one who gives
life and should be the one to take it away.
- Relations of trust between the doctors and patients could be destroyed.
- Some people wake from commas, so doctors can make mistakes.
- Modern medicines can help reduce pain.
- Relatives may persuade an old person to ask for mercy killing because
they want to inherit property.
- In Botswana, it is an offence against ancestors and God. They hope one
will recover. This is expressed in a proverb” moya goleele o lefa ka
marapo”.

SCIENTIFIC METHODS OF PROLONGING LIFE

It is possible for doctors to keep people alive longer. There are drugs and
operations done to prolong life.

1. The use of artificial respirators

When the person’s breathe fails, respirators can be used to help the patient with
oxygen supply. It also controls the heartbeat when the person has sufficient
blood flow.

2. Organ transplant
People can be given organs like kidneys, heart, liver, etc by other people (those
people will be referred to as donors).

3. Intravenous feeding
This is the use of machines top feed those who cannot eat and are weak
4. Drugs
People who suffer from pain e.g. those with terminal cancer are injected with
drugs to ease the pain
5. Artificial body parts
Some of the artificial parts can be used to `replace those that are damaged e.g.
arteries can be replaced.

6. Blood donations

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Blood is screened to check for diseases and then is donated to those in need to
save their lives.

7. Use of incubators for pre mature babies

Babies are put there to reach their normal birth date. The machine sustain the
baby’s life, it has suitable temperature and the baby is fed through intravenous
machines

MORAL DILEMMAS BROUGHT BY ADVANCED SCIENCE

Use of limited monetary resources

Some scientific methods used to prolong life such as organ transplants and dialysis is
very expensive. Many countries have limited monetary resources (money) to spend on
medical care.
The moral dilemma governments and policy makers face is whether to spend the limited
money the country has on scientific life prolonging methods in order to safe the life’s of
a few people and risk putting a strain on government financial resources, or to spend
the money on medical treatments that can save the lives of many and leave the patients
who require the expensive life prolonging treatments to die.

Treatment dilemmas
Medical treatments sometimes have to make very difficult moral decisions as to;
- Who should benefit from life prolonging treatments and for how long
- whether or not to give a patient treatment that will prolong his or her life for just
a short time
- Whether or not to violate the patient’s right to give consent to life prolonging
treatment. Some people refuse to accept life prolonging medical treatments such
as blood transfusion for religious reasons
The moral dilemma the medical practitioner face is whether or not they should respect
the patient’s religious beliefs and right to consent. If they respect the patients beliefs
and rights it may lead to his or her death. if they ignore the patients beliefs and rights,
and do a blood transfusion, they may safe his or her life, but they will have violated the
patients rights to consent and his or her religious beliefs

Quality of life
Sometimes family members face a situation where medical treatment such as dialysis is
prolonging the life of their loved one but he or he is still suffering and has a very poor
quality of life. He relatives and other care givers may question whether or not it is
worth keeping the person alive o it is better to let them die and end hi or her needles
suffering

HIV AND AIDS AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS

Differentiating between HIV, AIDS and STIs

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus); the virus that causes AIDS by infecting
cells of the immune system. It is transmitted mainly by exposure to
contaminated body fluids, especially blood and semen

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AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome); a collection of diseases that
affect the body as the immune system weakens due to HIV infection.

STI (sexually transmitted infection) a condition caused by germs (bacteria,

viruses, or parasites) contracted through sexual intercourse or other intimate
sexual contacts.

THE NEED TO KNOW ONE’S HIV STATUS

o If individuals think they might have been exposed to the virus, testing can
put their minds at rest. They will know whether or not they are infected.
o Individuals who are HIV positive need to know their status sooner rather
than later because they will need to make important decisions and may
have to change their behaviour. For example..
 they can make an effort to learn about how to live positively with
HIV, through diet and exercise
 they may have to start ARV therapy before their immune system
collapses and nothing can be done to save their lives
 they can take steps to protect their partners by practicing safe sex,
This will help avoid re-infection and transmission of the HIV to
another person

o If they want to have a baby, they can adopt measures to ensure that the
baby is not infected with HIV, for example by enrolling in the HIV
mother to child prevention therapy programme.

THE ATTITUDINAL CHANGE IN BOTSWANA TOWARDS HIV TESTING

The attitude of most Batswana towards HIV testing has changed. Many now go
voluntarily and regularly for HIV testing. This could be of the following reasons;
 The introduction of free ARV therapy in 2002 gave people hope. People
now know that when they test positive, they can receive ARV drugs which
help reduce the amount of the virus in their bodies and prolong their
lives.
 Comprehensive education about HIV AIDS issues has now made many
Batswana aware of the importance of testing and knowing ones status.
Public campaigns now focus on behavioural change and no longer
threaten people with death.
 The government has opened Tebelopele HIV testing centers all over the
country. This has made it easier and encouraged people to know their
status
 When some people went public and announced their status, they
encouraged other people to test and know their status and this also
helped remove the stigma and fear of testing for HIV

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF TRANSMITTING HIV INTENTIONALLY

Many people accept that intentionally infecting another person with HIV is
morally wrong conduct because of the following reasons

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  It shows lack of empathy and consideration for others. One may infect
many who would otherwise remain HUV negative
 HIV infection has serious consequences. It is an incurable infection that
can ruin the other person’s life. The other person may become infected
with HIV, develop ands and die
 It shows lack of respect for human life because it puts the life of the other
person at risk
 In a sexual; relationship, a partner may feel that his or trust was violated
because they were lied to and deceived
 In many cases it may be difficult to prove that someone intentionally
transmitted HIV to another person, if there is no proof it would be morally
wrong to accuse someone of intentionally transmitting HIV to another
person

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF TELLING SOMEONE ABOUT ONE’S HIV

STATUS

 It places a duty on the person who has been told to keep the information
confidential, unless he or she has been given the permission to tell others
by the person who disclosed his or her status
 It is easier to disclose ones status, if one is HIV negative because being
negative is seen as a good thing
 If one is HIV positive it can be a stressful decision to make. The fear of
stigmatization, rejection and discrimination may make the individual
unwilling or reluctant to disclose his or her status
 It can help build trust between you and the person being told
 One may be seen as doing something morally right because the
information will enable others to protect themselves. Sexual partners and
caregivers can take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from
getting infected
 Would enable others to show empathy and compassion towards you and to
know how best to help you
 Means one would feel free to take the ARV medicines openly. There would
be no need to hide the drugs for fear of people finding out that one is HIV
positive
 May encourage behavioural change in order to protect ones health. A
person is not likely to engage in sexually risky behaviour if she or he
knows that other people know that he or she is HIV positive

CONSEQUENCES OF HIV AND AIDS TO THE INDIVIDUAL, FAMILY,

COMMUNITY AND THE NAT ION

ON THE INDIVIDUAL
- affects the persons health and may lead to death
HIV makes one to be vulnerable to opportunistic infections. If one is HIV
positive and their immune system is weakened by the virus it may result in AIDS
which may lead to death.

-emotional and mental stress

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After testing HIV positive some people get emotionally stressed. This is because
no one likes being infected with HIV. Some may become even more emotionally
stressed when they get AIDS.
-despair
Some individuals despair as a result of testing HIV positive and may end up
behaving in morally and socially unacceptable ways by engaging for example, in
drug and alcohol abuse, adultery, prostitution and intentional transmission of
HIV. Some may commit suicide.

-due to AIDS effects some individuals become less productive at work

AIDS patients can become less productive because they are sick. Some may end
up losing their jobs because of this.

-the individual may be isolated and discriminated

They may suffer stigmatization which may lead to having low self esteem and
self confidence.

ON THE FAMILY

-Relatives may become emotionally stressed

People do not wish for their members of their family to be infected with HIV or
to get sock of AIDS. Having an AIDS patient at home may be emotionally
stressful because family members may have fear that the patient would die.

-loss of bread winners

Some bred winners may die and leave their families in poverty. This may result
in other social problems such as prostitution and crime.

-increase of orphans in the family

When both parents die children become orphans and relatives may have to
assume the responsibility of taking care of the orphans. This may also result in
child headed households.

-change the social status of the family

A wife can become a widow; a husband can become a widower and if both
parents die children become orphans.

-divorce
If one spouse is HIV positive, while the other is HIV negative, this can lead to
tension s in the marriage. The spouse who is HIV negative may accuse the one
who is positive of being unfaithful and may decide to end the marriage. If both
husband and wife are positive, they may blame each other for being the source
of the infection. This too can lead to divorce.

-family can become poorer

Taking care of a patient can be costly because family members may have to
spend money visiting their patient at the hospital, and buying food and drugs for
the sick person. The family may have little or no money left to pay for other
family needs and projects.

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COMMUNITIES AND THE NATION
-It creates a problem of orphan hood for the community and nation
If relatives are unable or are not willing to take care of the orphans, the
community and nation in which the orphans coke from will have to help. The
orphans would have to be taken to orphanage which the community and the
nation would be expected to support. Some orphans may end up living on the
streets.
-it results in loss of skilled and well educated people
In Botswana the government spends a lot of money in educating and equipping
people with skills. When such people die the government will have to spend
more money in training more people to acquire such skills and levels of
education.

-it has a negative effect on the economy of the country and the country’s
development
The government of Botswana spends a lot of money on buying the ARV drugs,
which are given to AIDS patients for free. This then has a negative impact on the
country’s economy and it slows its developments. If many people in the country
are sick it can affect the productivity of a nation and lowers the economy and
slows the development.

-it can lead to loss of investor confidence

If a country has a high rate of transmission and infection of HIV, investors can
lose confidence and can fear to invest in such a country. They may think that
they too can get infected or that there is less productivity in the country.

-it can decrease the population of the country

Countries with low population such as Botswana may experience this problem if
the death rate is high and the birth rate is low.

LIVING POSITIVELY WITH HIV

Having a positive attitude

Having a positive attitude involves accepting one’s HIV positive status and
being hopeful about the future. One does not feel that being HIV positive is a
death sentence. Instead one sees it as chronic condition that can be managed
through taking the appropriate medication, diet and exercise.

Eating a healthy balanced diet

Meals containing all the necessary nutrients help to boost a person’s immune
system. One should have balanced meals that have all the nutrients the body
needs to stay healthy. An HIV positive person should eat food from all the
food groups

Exercising
It can help the individual to relieve stress and to keep fit. Exercise can help
boost the immune system

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Getting enough rest
It is important for an HIV positive person to get enough rest because it allows
the body to recover from stress and fatigue one may be feeling. A well rested
body helps the immune system to function properly

Leaving in a clean environment

A clean environment is good for one’s health because it reduces the risk of
getting certain infections such as malaria and diarrhoea.
Using a condom when having sex
Using a condom when having sex protects one from getting re-infection and
transmitting the virus to another person

Early treatment of infection

Infections and ailments should be treated as early as possible so that they
don’t make the immune system to collapse
Adherence to ARV therapy instructions
Those on ARV therapy should adhere to the instructions on how and when to
take the medication and go for regular checkups’. This help to monitor their
health

Avoiding alcohol, cigarettes and illegal drugs

Intoxicants such as alcohol cigarettes and illegal drugs reduce the
effectiveness of ARV drugs on a person’s body and weaken the immune
system. Taking illegal drugs and alcohol can lead one to engage in sex
without a condom and discontinuing the ARV treatment

THE CAPACITY TO ADOPT HIV RISK PREVENTION MEASURES

There are various measures that people can use to prevent or reduce the risk
of becoming infected with HIV such as the following;
 Using surgical gloves when attending to an injured person who is
bleeding
 Having one sexual partner and being faithful to him or her
 Using condom every time when having sexual intercourse
 Male circumcision
 Sexual abstinence

REQUIREMENTS TO START ARV TREATMENT

 CD4 count test

CD4 cells are white blood cells which protect the body against
infections. A CD4 count test is a test in which one’s white blood cells
are counted. Healthy people are expected to have a CD4 count of about
800-1000. Currently if a person’s CD4 count is 250 or below the
person’s immune system is considered to be very weak and will qualify
to start ARV treatment. In the past, to qualify for ARV treatment, the
CD4 count had to be 200 or below.

 Viral load test

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 The viral load test measures the amount of HIV in the body. The higher
the viral load the weaker the immune system. The viral load is checked
to ensure that the correct dosage of ARV drugs is given.

 Treating other infections first

Before ARV treatment begins, people who have tested positive for HIV
are normally tested and treated for other infections such as
tuberculosis and other sexually transmitted infections first. This
ensures they are as healthy as possible before taking ARVs.

 HIV positive pregnant women

Pregnant women who are HIV positive and use ante-natal services
offered at government hospitals and clinics are encouraged to enroll in
the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme.
They receive ARVs that help to prevent transmission of the virus to the
baby during pregnancy.

 Counseling
A person should receive counseling before enrolling on the therapy.
The purpose of counseling is to:
1. Provide knowledge and understanding of the ARV therapy. For
example, patients will be advised about what to eat, the need for
exercise, and need to avoid certain foods, drinks and medicines.
2. Ensure the patient understands the importance of adhering to
instructions of how and when to take ARV medication.
3. Advise the person about the4 importance of coming for regular
checkups at the clinic or hospital.
4. Encourage them to have a positive attitude and to live positively.

THE EFFECTS OF THE ARV ON THE PERSON

 it controls the viral load in the body

ARV medication slows down the growth rate of HIV in the body. It
prevents the virus from reproducing and this slows down the damage
HIV causes to a person’s immune system. The CD4 count increases
resulting in a person’s immune system improving.

 it can prolong a person’s life

An improvement in a person’s immune system due to Arvs, in turn
results in a person’s health improving. The person is likely to live
longer than they would have if they did not take ARVs.

 it can help a person re-gain self esteem

Some people lose self esteem when they test HIV positive. The ARV
medication helps them to recover and re-gain self esteem. The Masa
ARV therapy is called ‘the new dawn’ because it gives HIV positive
people the hope of continuing to live.

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  it can help a person re-gain their health and become productive
again
After enrolling on ARV therapy the person can become well enough
again, to work and become productive.

 ARV like all drugs has negative side effects even if they are not taken
correctly. Below are some of the negative effects of ARV on a person’s
body.

-muscle pain
-diarrhoea
-skin rashes
-tiredness
-persistent headaches
-nausea
-abnormal menstruation patterns
-numbness in the hands and feet

THE EFFECTS OF INTOXICANTS ON ARV THERAPY

 Intoxicants make ARV therapy less effective

Using illegal drugs and alcohol make the ARV drugs less effective. As a
result, the immune system remains weak.

 Patients may fail to adhere to instruction on how and when to

take the medicine
When taking ARV drugs, it is very important to follow the doctor’s
instructions on how and when to take them. For example, ARV
treatment has to taken everyday at the same time for it to be effective.
Intoxicants can make the patient forget to take the medication or
taking it at the wrong time.

 Intoxicants can lead one to make bad decisions

When HIV positive people are under the influence of intoxicants they
may engage in unprotected sex and get re-infection. Some patients may
decide to stop treatment altogether.

THE IMPORTANCE OF TELLING A FAMILY MEMBER ABOUT

ONE”S HIV STATUS

 Telling someone can be emotionally relieving, especially if one is HIV

positive. Knowing that one is HIV positive and not telling anyone can be
very stressful.

 One would have at least one family member to turn to for emotional
support.

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  If the HIV positive person has AIDS, the family member who knows
one’s status can become a care giver. He or she will know how to take
care of the person properly without putting himself or herself at risk of
becoming infected.

 Informing a family member about one’s HIV status can encourage the
family member to test for HIV if he or she has not already tested.

MORAL VALUES THAT CAN BE USED TO DEVELOP A POSITIVE

ATTITUDE
TOWARDS PEOPLE WITH AIDS

 Empathy
Empathy is the ability to put oneself in another person’s situation and
imagine how he or she is feeling. People living with AIDS may be in
pain and unable to care for themselves. Empathy would enable us to
understand their suffering and needs. If we have empathy we are likely
to be more willing to help others.

 Compassion
Compassion is a deep feeling of empathy for those who are suffering
and the desire to help them. It is necessary to treat people living with
AIDS compassionately because this will make them feel that other
people care about them. Having a feeling of compassion can make
people turn their feelings of sympathy into action.

 Generosity
Generosity is the willingness to give and to share what one has. There
are many ways of being generous towards those living with HIV and
AIDS. This includes donating food, clothes, or money. It is important to
be generous to those living with HIV and AIDS because it shows that
we care.

 Caring
Caring means to feel affection or love, and concern for somebody or
something. We need to care for those living with HIV and AIDS. We
can show that we care in various ways such as: cleaning, washing and
cooking for them as well as visiting them regularly when they are not
feeling well.

 Respect
Respect means to admire someone or to treat someone with courtesy
and dignity. HIV positive people deserve respect because having the
virus does not make them less human. They have the same rights like
everybody else. We can show respect to people living with HIV and
AIDS in various ways such as respecting their privacy by not gossiping
about their HIV status and speaking to them politely.

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 THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A COMPASSIONATE ATTITUDE
TOWARDS HIV POSITIVE PEOPLE

 It encourages them to accept their status

If we show compassion to HIV positive people, they are more likely to
live positively. If we are compassionate, we will not stigmatise them.
This will encourage them to accept their status and if need be they will
enroll for ARV therapy.

 It makes them feel accepted

A compassionate attitude makes them feel that other people accept
them in spite of their HIV positive status. Lack of compassion will make
them feel like social rejects and it may make them despair. Their
desperation can lead them to risky behaviour such a drug and alcohol
abuse. They may even think of for example, stopping taking their
medication, dropping out of school and committing suicide.

 It boosts their self esteem

Testing HIV positive can lower a person’s self esteem. When people
show compassion to those who are HIV positive, it can boost their self
esteem because they will feel that others still love and value them.

 It may encourage them to join the fight against HIV and AIDS
A compassionate attitude can help those living with HIV to educate
others about HIV prevention and to live positively with the virus.

WAYS IN WHICH HIV POSITIVE PEOPLE ARE TREATED BY DIFFERENT

STRUCTURES

The family
- They do not stigmatise family members who are HIV positive. They help
them continue having a
Positive attitude towards life.

-they respect their rights to privacy by keeping their HIV positive status
confidential.

-when the HIV person is ill, they make sure that they get the care and
medical attention they need.

-they do not blame them for becoming infected with HIV. Instead they
provide emotional support and
encourage them to accept their status
.
-they may be accused of becoming infected because they are promiscuous
and a disgrace to the family. As a result, family members may be unwilling to
support and care for the relative who is HIV positive.

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 -some family members may not respect their relative’s right to privacy and
confidentiality by disclosing their HIV positive status to other people.
-husbands and wives may divorce their spouses or start ill-treating them
when their spouses test HIV positive. This is because the most common way
through which HIV is transmitted is through unprotected sex therefore they
will feel that their spouses were unfaithful

Schools

-learners who are HIV positive should be given special care and attention by
the school. For example, through the guidance and counselling department
learners are given counselling to help them cope with their status.

-staff members are required to respect the privacy and confidentiality of the
HIV positive status of learners and other staff members.

-students and members of the staff should be allowed regular checkups.

However just like any other person they are expected to follow all the proper
channels of seeking permission.

-learners who are HIV positive have the right to attend school lessons and
take part in school activities like any other learner. They should not be
discriminated against. However, just like any social group, there may be
some individuals who discriminate against people that they know are HIV
positive. For example some individuals may:
 not be willing to sit next to someone whom they have heard is HIV
positive.

 Disclose the status of the people they know are HIV positive without
their consent. This is violation of the person’s right to privacy.

The work place

- Some employers run wellness programmes which encourage employees to

adopt a healthy lifestyle. Others provide free ARV therapy to their
employees who are HIV positive and have developed AIDS.
- Co-workers show kindness and compassion by visiting their colleagues
who are hospitalised. They may contribute money to buy their colleagues
some fruits and vegetables
- Some employees may be dismissed from work after disclosing their HIV
status to their employers
- Individual employees may discriminate against those who are HIV positive

Religious groups

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 - Many religious groups do not discriminate against people who are HIV
positive. Followers are encouraged to treat them with love, compassion
and respect.
- They are given emotional and spiritual support. For example they can be
prayed for and encouraged to have faith and to avoid despairing
- They may be given material support, for example religious groups may
donate money, food and clothes to organisations that support HIV positive
people.

Clinics and hospitals

- they are given emotional support through counseling

- They are treated with respect. Patients HIV status is kept confidential
from other patients
- they are given guidance on how to lead healthy and positive life
- they are given regular medical check ups

INFERTILITY

Infertility is the inability to have children because of the improper functioning of

a part of the body of either a man or a woman.
 Infertility may be a temporary (such as when one is sick) or it can be a
permanent problem when it is congenital, meaning that it is an inborn
defect.

FEMALE INFERTILITY
Female infertility is the inability to conceive, or to produce viable eggs that can
be fertilised by the sperm, or the woman’s womb not being able to carry a
fertilised egg to a full term. When a woman cannot bear children, she is said to
be infertile.

MALE INFERTILITY
Male infertility is the inability to induce conception
n, or to produce enough sperms to fertilise an egg, usually caused by impotence.
Impotence is not being able to have an erection or not being able to ejaculate.

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TRADITIONAL PRACTICES RELATED TO INFERTILITY

 the use of traditional medicine

Traditional doctors give traditional herbs to infertile people in order to
make them fertile or to enable them to carry a pregnancy to full term.

 Polygamy
If a woman was infertile, a husband would marry a second wife with the
hope that the second wife would be able to bear children for the family.

 surrogate motherhood and fatherhood

If a woman was infertile, her younger sister was allowed to have sex with
her sister’s husband, so that she could bear a child for her. When the child
was born, the elder sister would adopt the child and raise it as her own. If
it was the man who was infertile, arrangements were made so that a close
older male relative, for example, his older brother could impregnate his
wife. Normally, the arrangement was kept secret.

 adoption
An infertile couple could adopt children of close relatives and raise them
as their own.

MODERN PRACTICES RELATED TO INFERTILITY

 surgery
A woman can undergo surgery to correct the blockage of oviducts.
However, this may not be always successful.

 the use of fertility drugs

A woman who does not ovulate can be treated with fertility drugs. The
fertility drugs help to produce hormones that cause ovulation.

 in-vitro fertilisation ( test tube babies)

This is whereby fertilisation takes place in the test tube or a Petri dish.
This method is normally used when blocked oviducts cannot be corrected
through surgery. The woman’s ova or eggs are collected by sucking them
through a thin tube. The collected ova are then mixed with the man’s
semen. They are checked through a microscope to check if fertilisation has
taken place.

When fertilisation takes place, several zygotes are then inserted into the
woman’s uterus through a test tube. The zygote develops into a foetus.
However multiple births can result if all the zygotes develop. Usually some
zygotes are stored and used if the first transplant is not successful. If it is
successful, the remaining zygotes are disposed.

 artificial insemination
Semen is inserted into the woman’s uterus. This method is usually used
when the man has a low sperm count. The sperm may come from the

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 husband if the woman is married, or if the husband’s sperm are of poor
quality, a donor’s sperm may be used. Some single women use donor
sperm if they want to be single mothers.

 Adoption
An infertile couple may adopt a child. A child can be adopted from within
the family or from an orphanage. Nowadays a formal and legal agreement
has to be made and approved by a court of law.

 Surrogacy
Surrogacy refers to the arrangement in which one woman (surrogate
mother) agrees to bear a child for another woman.

 egg donation
This method is used when a woman has problems with her ovaries and as
a result does not produce eggs or she produces eggs that cannot be
fertilised. Another woman may donate eggs which would be fertilised and
implanted in her womb through the in-vitro fertilisation method.

THE MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF SOME PRACTICES RELATED TO

INFERTILITY

 in-vitro fertilisation
 It brings happiness to a childless couple because they can have
a biological child of their own.
 If successful, it can boost the self esteem of a childless couple.
Some couples lose
 self esteem when they are not able to bear children because in
many societies infertility is stigmatised. People who cannot bear
children are ridiculed and even insulted. They may be called
derogatory names. For example, in Setswana terms such as
moopa, setwatwa or moreba are used.
 Multiple births that can result from in-vitro fertilisation can put
a strain on the woman’s body and can also result in emotional
depression of having to take care of many children born at the
same time.
 A child born through this method can lose self-esteem and
become ashamed when other people refer to him or her as a
test tube baby.
 The remaining zygotes are disposed. People who believe that
life starts at conception consider it as a murder or disrespect
for human life because the zygotes if implanted in the uterus
have the potential to grow into a baby.

 Surrogacy
 Some surrogate mothers are paid. This brings up the question
of whether it is morally right or acceptable to buy a baby or to

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 be paid for the use of one’s womb to carry a baby for someone
else.
 The surrogate mother may develop an emotional bond with the
unborn baby. As a result, she may refuse to give up the baby or
experience emotional trauma after she gives away the baby.
 Later on in life, the child may want to know the woman who
gave birth to him or her. This can result in a conflict between
the child and his or her parents.

 Adoption
 Through adoption, a childless couple provides a home to a child
who could possibly be homeless.
 Adoption can boost the self esteem of the childless couple and
that of the adopted child. Some children appreciate having
been adopted rather than having to grow up in an orphanage.
 When an adopted child becomes a problem, it can result in
conflict between the married couple. They can blame each
other for coming up with the idea of adoption.
 In most cases children are adopted when they are babies or are
very young. They cannot give consent to the adoption.
 The family of the adopted child may want their child back later,
and this can result in a conflict between the family which
adopted the child and the biological family or the parents of the
child.
 If the child discovers that he or she was adopted, it can create
an identity crisis. The child may want to know who the
biological parents or family are, and may even want to leave the
adopted family and return to the biological family.

 artificial insemination
 Since sperm donors may be anonymous, this denies the child
the right to know their biological father.
 The sperm from one donor may be used to impregnate different
women. The children will never know their half brothers and
sisters. This may create a risk of incestuous relationships later
on in their lives.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Social justice is concerned with treating everyone fairly and equally in order to
attain social harmony in society. Social justice therefore involves;
- giving everyone in the society equal rights and opportunities
- allowing everyone equal and fair access to economic resources and the
basic needs of life such as food, shelter, clothes and medical care
- making everyone equal before the law

FAIRNESS

Fairness can be defined as

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-treating people justly
-conforming to established rules which give everyone the same treatment and
life chances
- It involves treating everyone in the same way.
- Fairness is about being impartial. Being impartial involves making decisions
and treating people based on objective reasons rather than on the basis of bias,
prejudice or favoritism for improper reasons

EXAMPLES OF FAIRNESS

- Fair decisions are made when all family members are treated in the same way.
E.g., for example boys and girls must take turns in cleaning dishes
-providing public toilets not only for able bodied people but also for people with
physical disabilities who are using wheel chairs
-serving food and drinks only to people who have contributed money for the
party
-fairness in decision-making prevails when both men and women are given the
same treatment. E.g. Administering corporal punishment to both men and
women offenders

Other examples of fairness include the following

-applying the same punishment to students who have done the same mistake
- avoiding favoritism in class
- applying rules and regulations uniformly on all people

EQUALITY
Equality means treating people in the same way and avoiding any form of
discrimination. People enjoy the same rights and opportunities
- This refers to giving people equal access to rights and opportunities. Equality
means there should be no bias.

SITUATIONS THAT REFLECT EQUALITY

- In Botswana all the learners have a right to have a meal provided by their
school at tea and lunch time. Boarders are also given breakfast and supper
- Requiring that students wear the prescribed school uniform without
exception
- Giving the males and females the same education and employment
opportunities. For example in Botswana both males and females can now
work underground at the mine and in the army
- All children have a right to go to school regardless of the economic status
of their parents
- Everyone in the country is protected by the law regardless of one’s sex,
race, ethnic group, or place of origin

CASES OF UNFAIRNESS AND INEQUALITY IN BOTSWANA AND SOUTH

AFRICA

EXAMPLES OF UNFAIRNESS IN BOTSWANA

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 - in some cultural groups, a widow is expected to wear mourning clothes
after the death of her husband, while a widower does not wear any
mourning clothes after the death of his wife
- School textbooks are not written in Braille for visually impaired students,
this affects their learning and they may not perform to their potential.
- Many public buildings do not cater for people with disabilities. For
example some schools, shops , churches do not have ramps for those using
wheelchairs

EXAMPLES OF INEQUALITIES IN BOTSWANA

 SUCCESSION TO BOGOSI
Some ethnic groups still do not allow women to inherit chieftainship. If
the oldest child is a female, her oldest younger brother becomes the
chief after the death of their father.
 INHERITANCE CUSTOMS
In some ethnic groups, the only or the youngest male child inherits his
parents’ home even if he did not help build the house. Female children
even they helped build the house cannot inherit the property. In most
cases, female children do not inherit valuable properties from their
parents. For example they may inherit kitchen utensils and furniture,
while the male children inherit the homestead and livestock

 CUSTOMARY MARRIAGE
The customary law of Botswana allows Polygyny only. Men are allowed
to marry as many wives as they wish at a time. Women are not allowed
to marry more than one husband at a time

 LEADERSHIP IN SOME RELIGIONS

In some religions, men and women are treated unequally. Women are
not allowed to become religious leaders. For example, in the Roman
Catholic Church, women cannot be priests, bishops, archbishops or
become the pope. In Islam, the imams are always male

EXAMPLES OF UNFAIRNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Example 1
A company was taken to court by an employee who had been dismissed from his
job with the company. The court decided that the dismissal was not unfair
because the employee had already been given a final warning about his conduct
at work. However, the court ruled that what was unfair was the employer’s
refusal to allow the employees lawyer to represent him at the disciplinary
hearing. The employee was entitled to such representation, by a lawyer of his
choice. The company was ordered to pay the employee twelve months salary as
compensation.

EXAMPLES OF INEQUALITIES IN SOUTH AFRICA

Examples of inequalities that existed in South Africa during apartheid rule

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 - Only white people were allowed to vote during general elections to elect
the country’s government, citizens such as blacks, Indians, coloureds and
Chinese did not have the right to vote.
- Unequal distribution of development and wealth. Most of the country’s
wealth was used to develop areas reserved for white people only.
- There are inequalities in the distribution of health services. Some
provinces have more doctors than others. Most urban areas have better
services than rural areas
- There are gender inequalities in the work place, for example senior
management positions in big companies and organisations, are held
mostly by men not women

ANALYSING INEQUALITIES IN BOTSWANA

Many inequalities in Botswana are as a result of socialization. Socialization

means being made to believe or behave in a certain way.

1. CULTURAL AND POLITICAL INEQUALITIES

Traditionally a woman was not allowed to inherit chieftainship but today they
are being supported by the government and we have women chiefs like Kgosi
Seboko of Balete, Kgosi Moremi of Batawana. We have women in other
institutions like Justice Unity Dow who was the first female in High Court, even
in political positions we do have female representation. We also experience a
land-right issue when it comes to the Bushmen. Traditionally they are the
hunters and gatherers and live in Kalahari National Park where they are no built
clinics and schools and therefore the government prefer them to move to
villages and also to apply for hunting licenses which the Bushmen find it not
their culture.

2. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC INEQUALITY

The society is divided into classes that is those who are rich, the middle class,
the poor and those extremely poor. Those who have more money can afford
better schools for their children and those that are poor theirs are at a
disadvantage. The government is however trying to provide education to all and
school fees are kept low. It also helps the poor by providing social welfare and
food parcels and those families that have been affected by AIDS pandemic.

3. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND INEQUALITY

In Botswana freedom of religion is allowed and there are branches of all main
religions e.g. islam, Christianity, Hinduism e.t.c. in some of the religions there
are some areas where women and children are treated unfairly.

THE ROLE OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN PROMOTING FAIRNESS AND

EQUALITY
Family
 Children who treat each other unfairly are punished or reprimanded
 Adult members of the family act as role models for their children by
treating other people fairly and equally

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  Some parents promote fairness by making sure that chores allocated to
children are suitable for their age
 Some parents promote equality by avoiding gender bias when allocating
chores to their children. E.g both ma le and female children are expected
to help with the cooking, cleaning the house, and washing dishes
 Some man make decisions together with their wives in matters concerning
their families
 Parents ensure fairness and equality by ensuring that their children have
an equal share of property in their wills

The school
 By teaching learners and fairness and equality and encouraging treating
others fairly and equally. E g in subjects such as Moral Education and
Social Studies
 Ensuring all students have equal and fair access to learning resources
such as textbooks and opportunities to develop their talents
 In every class their monitors and prefects who represent the interest of
the learners on issues that affect them
 By ensuring schools rules are obeyed by all students without exception.
Punishment for breaking rules being fair for all.
 By ensuring all students wear school uniform

Religions
 By teaching followers to treat other fairly and equally
 Religions preach against discrimination, especially of vulnerable people
such as the children, the poor and the disabled. They encourage people to
respect others
 As a way of promoting gender equality some religion groups accept
women as religious leaders

The kgotla
 Through kgotla meeting members of the community are encouraged to
treat each other fairly and equally and not violate the rights of others
 To promote fairness, before disputes are settled, every person is given a
fair hearing. a person has a right to appeal to a high court if he or she is
unhappy with the judgment
 Both males and females are allowed to attend kgotla meetings
 In order to promote fairness, all people are allowed to voice their views
during kgotla meetings

ANALYSING DICTATORSHIP IN SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

Dictatorship refers to the act of exercising complete powers over people and
forcefully telling them what to do.

1. FAMILY

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- Husbands may make decisions concerning family matters without consulting
their wives and except their wife’s to accept the decisions without complaining
or disagreeing. They may even indicate that their decisions are final.
- A mother in-law dictating to a daughter in law how she should care for her
children
- Parents choosing a husband or wife for their son or daughter. Some may refuse
their son’s or daughter’s choice of marriage partner.
- choosing for a spouse, who they should be friends with and who they should
not be friends with without any explanation. The spouse is not allowed to
question the decision.

2. THE SCHOOL
- School management making or changing rules without consulting parents, staff
members and students
- scheduling study time over the weekend and insisting that all students attend
even if they have good reasons for not being able to do so.

3. RELIGION/CHURCH
- In some religions, followers are expected to follow their leaders without
question e.g they are not allowed to question how money collected for religious
purposes is being spent.
- Some religious leaders indicate how members of the religious group should live
their lives

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PRINCIPLE OF FAIRNESS AND EQUALITY

IN MORAL DECISION MAKING

FAIRNESS AS A MORAL PRINCIPLE

Avoiding discrimination should be a principle when making moral decisions.

Moral decision refers to good and fair decisions
Fairness and equality are important in moral decision for the following reasons.
The decision would;
 Be accepted by many people because it is likely to be based on good
reasons
 Not cause conflicts and misunderstanding between people because it will
promote peace and harmony
 Not promote favouritism and any form of discrimination and would benefit
all people regardless of sex, skin colour, race or age
 Promote trust among people
 Help leaders gain respect from other people
 Promote respect for human rights because fairness and equality are
fundamental values on which human rights are based

MORAL ISSUES ARISING FROM THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL

INSTITUTIONS

1. ABORTION

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Most social institutions believe that the rights of the unborn baby should be
protected than protecting of the mother. That is why abortion is illegal in
Botswana. Those people deciding the laws in the government are those who
have grown up in social institutions. If people feel that made laws are unfair the
government will listen to the complaints of the people and amendments are to
be made. There are situations where abortion can be accepted e.g. rape, incest,
pregnancy threatening the life of the mother. Sometimes people believe that to
commit abortion is a personal choice and some may differ.

Churches are anti-abortion. The religious beliefs of families may lead them to
socialize their individual members to accept that life is sacred and abortion is
therefore morally wrong. In such families when a teenager falls pregnant, even
if the parents are angry they would not allow their child to have an abortion

Schools teach students about the consequences of abortion, the different views
and beliefs on abortion and the moral implications of abortion. This may
influence the student’s views on abortion

2. PROSTITUTION
Many societies believe that prostitution is illegal and morally wrong. People
believe it impurifies the human body. People tend to practice prostitution for
various reasons e.g. lack of money, food, and employment. Family, community
and schools can influence issues of prostitution. If one gets enough education
and gain skills he will have the chances to get a job. Providing alternatives to
work in sex industries is an impossible issue not only for the individual but also
for the whole society why because prostitutes have multiple sexual partners.
They are at risk of STD’s that they can pass to those uninfected.

3. THE USE OF CONTRACEPTION

Most religions accept the use of birth control methods especially for married
couples, however some religious churches such as the roman catholic are
against any form of contraception because they belief that sex is for procreation
not just for enjoyment. Therefore the followers may be influenced by these
teachings and may decide to or not to use contraception

So families may also be influenced by these religious so may therefore decide to

or not to use contraception, however some families may use them as a human
right issue.Teachings of comprehensive sex education in schools on subjects
such as Moral Education, Guidance and Counseling etc influences teenagers
who are unable to abstain to consider the use of contraception. The knowledge
the students acquires may influence their decision on whether to use
contraceptives or not

4. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
It is condemned by most religions, they believe it violates a persons right to life
and is cruel, inhuman and an act of revenge. It violates the teaching of ‘thou
shall not kill’. Generally religions are against violence and do not support capital
punishment because it involves violence

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The school promotes awareness of capital punishment as a human rights issue.
Learners are taught about views and beliefs held by other people and different
organization and these influences the learner’s views and opinions about capital
punishment

6. SUICIDE
Religion considers suicide as a morally wrong thing because life is considered
sacred. Those who commit suicide are considered to be committing a sin. This
religious belief may influence the followers attitude towards suicide and those
who attempt to commit it. Families influence its members to avoid suicide
through religious beliefs and teachings of moral values such as respect or life

MORAL ISSUES RELATED TO A SOCIAL INSTITUTION

1. ISSUE OF BIRTH CONTROL IN ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Roman Catholic Church is against the use of birth control methods except the
natural ones e.g. the rhythm method, which are not reliable. Government and
the community are concerned about the issue of over population. The more
people born the lesser the resources to sustain their well being. Smaller families
are easier to maintain. Catholic families have large numbers because they are
forbidden to use contraceptives, this put pressure on the community resources.
The moral dilemma that faces the catholic is whether to follow teachings of the
church or follow the advice about family planning brought through community
health programmes.

2. POLYGAMY IN AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION AND THE

AFRICAN INDEPENDENT CHURCH
Churches preach that polygamy is morally wrong; they believe that a man
should only marry one wife and be faithful to her. However in African tradition
polygamy was part of African life and regarded as valuable and customary. The
moral dilemma we see here is not only between clashing of traditionally
permission of polygamy and Christian condemnation of polygamy but also
between the teachings of the different churches. Some churches agree with
polygamy therefore it can be thought of as moral or immoral depending on the
background of the church

3. FORMS OF PUNISHMENT AS PRACTICED IN ISLAMIC STATES

(SHARIA LAW)
Sharia law is a sacred law of Islam. What people do and is expected from them is
specified in the law. e.g. if you are caught with alcohol you are punished by
whipping, repeated theft one is cut four fingers of the right hand, capital
offences include political, crimes, murder and drug smuggling . Why these
punishment are administered Muslims they violate the sacredness of something.
In other faiths, these punishments are seen as evil and cruel because they are
irreversible. Some Muslims are caught in a dilemma to choose between holy law
of tradition and their preference for more humane secular law.

4. THE PRACTICE OF SUTTEE IN INDIA

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In India in the past a widow was to stand be buried with her dead husband. His body
will be will be burnt to ashes together with the living body of his body. Some are burnt
with their possessions with the believe to uphold his duties in the next world. To show a
bond to marriage a wife was to commit a painful suicide to honour the dead man

CITIZENSHIP

The status gives one the entitlement to legal protection by the laws of a country.
- The state of having full rights as a member of a country; either by birth or law
A citizen is-
- An inhabitant of a country
-a member of a nation
-a person belonging to a certain country

WAYS OF ATTAINING CITIZENSHIP IN BOTSWANA

BIRTH
If the person was born in Botswana and both the parents are Batswana

BY DECENT
If one was born in Botswana but both or one of the parents is a Motswana

ADOPTION
If a non citizen child of not more than three years of age is adopted by a
Motswana parent, the child may be granted citizenship

REGISTRATION
A person who can become a citizen by registration is a foreigner who is granted
citizenship by the president as an honour for having worked hard and shown
high commitment and loyalty to Botswana

BY NATURALISATION
If a person has lived in Botswana for attleast ten years may apply for citizenship.
But a person who is married to a citizen of Botswana, may apply after living in
Botswana for attleast five years

BY SETTLEMENT
A person who settled in Botswana before its independence in 30 th September
1966 and have lived in Botswana as a member of a particular tribe and
community, shall if they so wish, make a declaration as prescribed and become a
citizen of Botswana

RESPONSIBILITIES

 take part in developing his/her country socially, economically and

politically
 take part in crime prevention and protect public property
 Participate in national activities, e.g. aids campaigns, litter picking,
national tree planting day, elections, referendum etc.
 work hard to uphold the national principles
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  uphold the country’s constitution and obey the laws of the country
 defending their country against enemies

CIVIL RIGHTS
These are the entitlements that one has because of being a citizen of a
particular country. They are drawn up and provided by the government
The difference between civil rights and natural rights is that natural rights are
common to every human being just for being human, whereas civil rights are
specific to citizens of a particular country.

MORAL DUTIES OF A CITIZEN

Moral duties are obligations to show good and desirable conduct and abide by
the laws of the society. E.g.
-taking part in developing the country
-abiding by the rules of a country
-taking part in public affairs
-respecting other peoples rights
-taking part in national services
-challenging unjust laws and influencing their amendments

HOW DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AFFECT CITIZENS IN THEIR

DAILY LIVES
a) the responsibility to uphold the constitution helps a person to live a
judicial and upright life, with few crimes or offences
b) the responsibility to defend ones country makes one eligible for military or
national service
c) the responsibility to participate in public activities can make people play a
meaningful role in nation building activities, for example Tirelo Sechaba
d) the ability to promote the country’s national principles may make people
initiate development projects to be self reliant leading to a spirit of
cooperation
e) the responsibility to protect public property from damage and misuse can
assist organisations like crime prevention units and the department of
wildlife
f) The responsibility to contribute towards the economic, social and political
development of a country can lead to business enterprise, political
activism etc.

TRADITIONS AND THE LAW

Tradition is the passing of beliefs and custom from one generation to the other.

LOCAL AND NATIONAL TRADITIONS

LOCAL NATIONAL
Proverbs Currency
Values National flag
Totems Constitution

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Taboos Coat of arms
Riddles National anthem

ROLES OF THE TRADITIONS

1. TABOO (MEILA)
They are meant to ensure the security for people as well as to protect the
welfare of the individuals and the community at large.
The taboos safeguard or protect the secrets of the community to be exposed to
other people of a different community;
They also encourage and discourage certain types of behaviour of the
community members.

2. RIDDLES (DITLHAMALAKANE)
They are used to improve the thinking skills and logic of the people
-they are educational.
-They used as a form of entertainment thus keeping youngsters busy and free
from danger.
-Riddles illustrate aspects of particular tradition in an area where people are
locate
-they provide powerful moral lessons to individuals.

3. TOTEMS (DIRETO)
They are used by people as an identity for their tribe
- give people pride.
- provide peace and harmony amongst people.

4. PROVERBS (DIANE)
They teach people morality,
-they encourage moral values such as respect and cooperation
-they reinforce customs and traditions.

5. NATIONAL FLAG
It gives the nation an identity and gives the people pride of their country. It
strengthens unity amongst the people of a country as they will be abiding to a
common flag.

6. CONSTITUTION
It encourages peace and harmony amongst people; it ensures that everyone’s
rights are respected as well as laying the basic rules and freedoms which people
are entitled to.

THE ROLE OF TRADITION IN GOVERNING HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

o Tradition guide and control human behaviour. They guide people’s

behaviour and conduct by telling them what to do and not what not to
do. E.g. through taboos and proverbs. It is a taboo to eat ones totem, as
a result people will be careful to avoid eating their totem.

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 o Some traditions encourage good behaviour and discourage bad
behaviour. E.g. bogwera and bojale teach young people how to behave
in morally right ways in the community
o National traditions encourage people to be patriotic. National
traditions such as respect for National symbols and celebration of
important political holidays encourage citizens to love and be loyal to
the country
o Traditions unite people; both local and national tradition can unite
people. E.g. the singing of the national anthem, wearing the national
colours and coming together for patlo and bogadi can create a sense of
unity among people
o Traditions promote peace and social harmony and cooperation in
society. Forms of cooperation such as majako, mafias,molaletsa and
motshelo encourage people to help each other. This in turn promotes
peace, kagisano and cooperation among people

DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN RULES AND LAWS

Rules are statements of what can and cannot be done in a particular

circumstance e.g.
- do not litter
- keep left past right
- Speed limit 60km/h
- do not use vulgar language

Laws are the rules supported by the power of government to control the
behaviour of the citizen’s e.g.
- No one should murder
- do not drink and drive
- do not give false information.

RULES IN INSTITUTIONS

FAMILY RULES
 Do not come home from playing or visiting friends after dark
 Always wash your hands before and after eating
 Do not use vulgar language
 Do the chores assigned to you on time
 Respect your elders

SCHOOL RULES
 All students should be punctual to school
 All students should wear proper school uniform
 The use of vulgar language is not allowed within the school premises
 No weapons and sharp objects such as knives are allowed in school
 Students should respect other students and all members of staff

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HOSPITAL RULES
 Visitors should adhere to the visiting times
 Children below age of 12 are not allowed to visit patients
 Switch off cellphones when you are in the consultation room
 Visitors are not allowed to eat in the wards
 The hospital shall not be held responsible for the loss of valuable property
belonging to the patients

SOME LAWS GOVERNING BOTSWANA

 Marriage laws- govern registration of marriages, making an oath in

marriage and any matter concerning marriage
 Citizenship laws- governs how one becomes a citizen of Botswana
 Consumer protection law- protects the rights of consumers
 Domestic violence law- protect victims of domestic violence
 Corruption and economic crime law-
 Adoption of children- the law sets out the procedures for adoption

HOW CHANGE IN MORAL PERCEPTION AFFECTS THE LAW

1. AMMENDING THE LAW/ CHANGE IN LAW

Sometimes made laws loose their status because we are living in a changing
world, e.g. in the past polygamy was practiced and accepted but nowadays it is
discouraged due to many factors including the issue of HIV/AIDS.

2. REIN-FORCEMENT OF THE LAW

Some laws when being amended they need to be reinforced to make people see
the seriousness of what is entailed. Some crimes such as those of rape, abortion
and murder they need to be looked into and their sentence should be made in
such a way that people would refrain from doing such crimes.

3. ABOLISHMENT OF LAWS
Sometimes laws that have been made long time back may loose their importance
as they may address issues that no longer taking place or happening so they
need to be terminated or stopped to be on use.

CRIME

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Crime can be defined as
- An act punishable by law
- An action forbidden by the law
- An activity which breaks the law and is a subject to official punishment

TYPES OF CRIME
-Offences against property- theft, burglary, house breaking
- Offences against public, disorder, nuisance, insulting behaviour
- Offences against the road traffic act- dangerous driving, over speeding
- Offences against morality- rape, bestiality
- Offences against persons- murder, assault, abuse

CAUSES OF CRIME
- Poverty and Unemployment-
Some people may commit crime because they are very poor and have no means
of earning a living. E.g. they may engage in criminal acts such as stealing and
receiving stolen goods in order to earn money or to acquire items they need to
support themselves

- Greed
Some people want more money and property than they actually need or can
afford. As a result they engage in crime in order to try and satisfy their desire to
acquire as much money and property as possible

- peer pressure
Some people especially young people may engage in criminal activities such as
theft and robbery because of peer pressure from their friends.

- Unfair and unequal distribution of wealth in society

If in a country, wealth is distributed unfairly or unequally, this can result in a
very wide income gap between the rich and the poor. This also creates a gap in
developments between different parts of the country/. Some areas will have
more developments, while other areas have few developments and limited
employment opportunities. Some people may end up committing crimes in order
to also benefit from the wealth of the country.

Alcohol and drug abuse

Some people commit crime while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs.
For example they might fight with others; commit rape, murder, and
manslaughter. Others may steal in order to have money to buy alcohol or illegal
drugs
Other causes may include the following
- experimenting
- testing the enforcement of the law
- mental illness
- poor and irresponsible parenting

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EFFECTS OF CRIME TO THE CRIMINAL

-LOSS OF LIFE
The victim can kill a criminal during the time of the crime as a way of self-
defense and to defend his belonging, Or may be sentenced to death as a
punishment. E.g. in Botswana where capital punishment is practiced, a
murderer can be sentenced to death

-LOSS OF EMPLOYMENT AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

When one has been involved in a crime and end up being caught he or she may
end up being found guilty and be chased from the employment. Job seekers who
have criminal records often find it difficult to get jobs because of potential
employers do not trust them

-LOSS OF DIGNITY
A criminal may lose dignity or his worthy when he is caught in an act of crime. If
he was a well known somebody people will turn to discriminate towards him.

-LOSS OF PROPERTY
The criminal can loose her property when caught in act of crime so her
belongings can be re-possessed to be sold in order to repay those who she stole
from.

-RISK OF BECOMING INFECTED WITH STI’S

Rapists who do not use condoms can become infected with STI’S such as HIV

-LOSS OF FREEDOM
All crimes are punishable by the law. A person suspected of committing crime
can be arrested and tried in a court of law. If found guilty he or she cab be
punished by being imprisoned. Imprisonment involves the loss of freedom.

-PERMANENT INJURIES
When caught in an act of crime such as theft and robbery, a criminal may be
injured by the criminal. The victim may shoot him/her in self defence. Some
people who commit crimes such as shoplifting or mug people in public places
are beaten by members of the public and as a result they may sustain
permanent injuries

EFFECTS OF CRIME TO THE VICTIM

-LOSS OF LIFE
Victims of murder loose their life’s. Other violent crimes such as robbery,
assault and battery can result in loss of the victim’s life

-PERMANENT DISABILITY

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Some crimes such as robbery and rape involve the use of violence. The criminal
may cause permanent injuries to the victim while committing the crime. For
example the criminal may stab or shoot the victim resulting in the victim
becoming paralysed

-LOSS OF SELF ESTEEM

Crimes such as rape, defilement, assault can damage the victim’s self esteem
and self confidence. The loss of self esteem may be due to the feeling of
embarrassment, helplessness and fear of stigmatization for what happened to
them. The crime may make them feel devalued and worthless

-SPREAD OF DISEASES
Victims of rape and defilement can become infected with sexually transmitted
infection such as HIV. This can affect their health badly

-MAY EXPERIENCE ECONOMIC DRAW BACK

Victims of criminal activities such as theft robbery and fraud can experience an
economic draw back as a result of loosing their hard earned money or property
to the criminals

-SUFFER LONG LIFE FEAR AND DEPRESSION

This can happen to victims of criminal activities such as rape defilement and
kidnapping

-LOSS OF TRUST IN OTHER PEOPLE

Victims of crimes such as theft, rape, defilement and kidnapping may loose trust
in other people. Some crimes are committed by people who the victims know as
a result, they may find it difficult to trust people around them.

MORAL IMPLICATIPONS OF CRIME

 Crime is considered anti-social and immoral behaviour because it violates

the rights of the victim to be safe and secure, to privacy and to their
property. People live in fear to become victims of crime
 Crime destroys trust, unity and the spirit of Botho among people. People
do not know whom to trust and this can discourage from helping others.
 Crime tarnishes the images of families and the whole country, even if it is
only some of its members who are criminals
 Crime can hinder the existence of peace and harmony in the society and
make the society an unsafe place to live in.
 Crime can lead to some members of society benefit unfairly from a
country’s resources and wealth. E.g. through corruption, some people
acquire a lot of land while others have none

ECONOMIC CRIME

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Economic crime is any act of gaining wealth illegally for oneself, an organization
or a company and results in a financial loss to the victim

EXAMPLES OF ECONOMIC CRIME

1. FRAUD
Fraud is the act of intentionally deceiving other people in order to obtain their
money or property. Facts are deliberately misinterpreted to mislead a victim.
E.g.
 Forgery or counterfeiting
 False pretences- involve a person pretending to have certain qualities
and abilities that they do not have. E.g. using faked or altered certificates
to gain admission into an educational institution or to obtain employment.
 Embezzlement- is taking money or property entrusted to one’s care,
custody, or control without permission, and using one’s benefit. E.g a
finance officer who receives money for the organization she works for and
then deposits the money in his or her personal account or uses it for his or
her own personal benefit

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF FRAUD

 Fraud is considered immoral because it involves lying and
dishonesty
 Trust is an important part of good relationships between people.
Fraud destroys trust people have in one another. E.g. when
employees commit fraud they breach the trust between them and
the employers
 Fraudsters can loose the respect of relatives, friends, colleagues at
work and other people in the community
 Victims of fraud may seek revenge and this may lead to conflict in
the community
 Fraud can cause physical injury or kill victims. Eg counterfeit
medicine can kill people

2. TAX EVASION

- it is an illegal practice whereby a person, an organization or a company

intentionally does not pay, any tax or the correct amount of tax due.

MORAL IMPLICATIONS
- It is considered morally wrong because it involves being untruthful and
dishonest
- It violates moral values of fairness and justice. People who deliberately
evade paying tax place a greater and unfair burden on honest tax payers.
- It violates the standard of morally acceptable conduct in the society
because it involves abandoning one’s civil responsibility. It results in loss
of income for the government and this can threaten its ability to develop
the country and provide services that benefit the whole country.

3. CUSTOMS DUTY EVASION

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 - It is the practice of deliberately not declaring, declaring false values, or
wrongly classifying imported goods or services in order not to pay any
duty or to reduce the amount of duty to0 pay

MORAL IMPLICATIONS
- It is considered morally wrong because it involves being untruthful and
dishonest
- It violates moral values of fairness and justice. People who deliberately
evade paying duty on imported goods and services places an unfair tax
burden on people who honestly declare the value of their imported goods
and services
- It violates society standards of morally acceptable conduct, because it
violates the principle of social responsibility. It results in loss of income for
the government and this can threaten its ability to develop the country and
provide services

4.MONEY LAUNDERING
- Is the process by which money obtained illegally, is made to appear to
have been earned legally. This is done by hiding its original illegal source
and legitimizing it for future use. This makes it difficult to trace the
original source of the money

MORAL IMPLICATIONS
- Money laundering is considered morally wrong because it involves being
dishonest and benefiting from money obtained illegally, and usually from
criminal activities
- It can tarnish the image of a country and its financial institutions. This can
result in loss of investor confidence
- Money laundering is considered immoral conduct in the society because
it violates the civic responsibility people have to obey and uphold the law

CORRUPTION

It is an illegal action that benefits an individual, organization or company

financially or materially

BRIBERY
- The practice of offering or asking somebody for money or other incentives
to do something dishonest or illegal.

MORAL IMPLICATIONS

- Bribery benefits the individual official at the expense of the organization

or the nation he or she is employed to serve
- Bribery can increase the cost of doing business in a country because extra
money has to be paid to the officials. This can have a negative impact on
the economy of the country

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 - Bribery can result in low productivity because officials will not perform
their duties unless they are bribed
- Bribery makes the public loose trust in the government or an organization
because of officials who take bribes.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Conflict of interest is a clash between the public and private interest of
somebody in an official position and involved in making decisions for an
organization, a company or the government

MORAL IMPLICATIONS

- A person with a conflict of interest not makes just and fair decisions. They
may want to favour themselves or their relatives and friends
- The public can loose confidence and trust in the process of decision
making of the organization or government
- Individuals who do not disclose conflict of interest, may benefit themselves
or their relatives and friends unfairly and unjustly from the decisions and
activities of the organization and the government at the expense of the
greater good of the organization or the country

POSSESION OF UNEXPLAINED PROPERTY

- It refers to having money or property that is above one’s known sources of
income or assets.

MORAL IMPLICATIONS

- if offenders are not punished by the government, it may encourage others

to engage in crime and corruption in order to acquire the same kind of
wealth
- some people may begin to feel resentful or jealous of people with
unexplained property
- it may make people fearful of people with unexplained property and they
may not want to associate with them because they suspect that they
acquired the property through illegal means. E.g. selling drugs or robbery

VIOLENCE

 Violence is physical force used to hurt or harm somebody.

 Violence means to ill-treat or abuse some one using physical force.
This may result in injuring or hurting people, destruction of property and
violation of law.

TYPES OF VIOLENCE

Physical violence

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It is the use of ones hands or an object to cause physical pain or injury. It
involves actions such as punching, kicking, hitting, slapping, pulling hair,
pouring hot liquid over someone and burning someone

Sexual violence
Sexual violence involves use of physical force to make another person engage in
sexual activities against their wish or without their consent e.g. cases of rape.
Rapists may use victims as their sex tools (use them any how). This kind of
violence may lead to injury, HIV/AIDS, unwanted pregnancies and also inability
to have a long term relationship. However sexual violence also includes situation
such as using force to kiss someone, or to touch their breasts, buttocks and
genitals

Domestic violence
This is a form of violence which takes place in the home. It involves different
kinds of abuse between family members. For example, spouses who beat their
partners at home and children who are deliberately hurt by their parents or care
takers.

Social violence
Social violence is the type of violence that occurs in the society e.g. robbery,
burglary, rape, murder and others.

Political violence
Political violence refers to the use of physical force against people to achieve a
political objectives or goals. it is the type of violence that result in issues such as
when one group tries to impose their beliefs or views unto other people. , war,
injuries, assassination and other related brutal acts. It involves beating up
people murder rape and torture in order to force them to vote for a particular
political party or because of disputes over election results.

Religious violence
Religious violence happens as a result of religious reasons. People can fight
because of intolerance. This is a situation where religions do not accept others
or when they speak bad thing about others religious beliefs.

CAUSES OF VIOLENCE

Poverty and unemployment

Lack of money can make people to be violent as they will be bitter about their
lives. Others will be having no money to buy food and they take people’s
belongings by force

Media influence

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When some people see violent acts on television or doing certain things they just
copy such behaviour. The viewers end up committing such acts of violence
shown on television.

Socialization from a violent family

When children grow up in a violent family they tend to grow up with that
behaviour and see it as normal. If parents always fight in presence of children,
the children may think that the proper way of resolving conflict is through
fighting

Peer pressure
Some people become violent as a result of being influenced by their age mates.
E.g. young people may influence others to belong to violent gangs and to go
around beating and terrorizing other people in the communities

Excessive use of substance

Some people become violent as a result of substance or drug abuse since they
will be under the influence of such substances.

Selfishness and greed

If a person is selfish or greedy s/he can cause violence since s/he may want to
have everything to themselves. Sometimes this can happen when there is some
property of the deceased relatives which is supposed to be shared among
siblings or relatives.

EFFECTS OF VIOLENCE ON THE;

1. VICTIM
- Loss of life
Violence may lead to loss of life because it involves the use of physical force. the
death of the victim may be caused intentionally or unintentionally
- Physical injuries
Violence often results in physical injuries. Some of the injuries can lead to
permanent disabilities. E.g. loss of teeth, eye, ear or limbs. A person can become
paralysed for life
- Transmission of STI’S and other diseases
Sexual violence can result in a victim becoming infected with infections such as
HIV, syphilis or gonorrhea. A female victim may even fall pregnant as a result of
having been raped and this may force her to have an abortion
-Emotional stress
The experience of violence may lead to depression and feelings of anger, guilt,
humiliation and resentment. This can affect the victims’ mental health
negatively
- Fear
Victims of violence live in fear of the perpetrator of violence against them. They
will not feel safe or secure wherever they are, e.g. at school, home and at work.
Living in constant fear of being attacked can affect a person’s self confidence
and ability to live a normal life.

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- Some will be depressed, have mental disturbance and think of committing
suicide so as to be free from violence.
- Loss of self esteem.
The victim of violence may loose self esteem and may no longer feel good about
himself or herself. E.g. victims of rape may have a low self esteem

2. EFFECTS ON THE PERPETRATOR

- may result in imprisonment
Violent acts such as murder, assault and rape are punishable by the law. A
perpetrator can be arrested and if found guilty by a court can be imprisoned as
punishment

- Loss of life
A perpetrator may be killed during the course of committing violent acts. E.g. a
victim of violence may kill him or here in self defence. If the perpetrator is found
guilty of murder, he or she can be sentenced to death.

- Physical injuries
Violence often results in physical injuries. Some of the injuries can lead to
permanent disabilities. E.g. loss of teeth, eye, ear or limbs. A person can become
paralysed for life

- The perpetrator may be stigmatized

Members of the community will have a negative attitude towards him or her
because violence is considered morally unacceptable conduct. Violence is
regarded as a shameful behaviour

- Loss of respect
Violence is regarded as morally unacceptable behaviour. People who are violent
are normally not respected by other people. E.g. a man who physically abuses
his wife may loose the respect from his children, friends and neighbours

3. FAMILY
 Domestic violence may lead to family breakdown. This may lead to
children and spouse running way from home in order to escape from
suffering.
 Children may run away from home and end up being street kids and
they may resort to crime as way of surviving.
 If parents die in the act of violence children will become orphans.
 Children become bitter and want to revenge when one of their family
members is disabled or loose life due to violence.
 Violence breed violence; being socialized in a violent environment may
lead to children being violent since children learn through imitating what
people do.
 If children were abused sexually they may not want to be involved or
form healthy relationships in future.

4. SOCIETY

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  Under development; if there is violence in the society e.g. political
violence involving war, property may be damaged hence this would be
costly to repair damage property or replace it and also people will be
scared to take part in development activities.

 Low production; as people die due to violence, both unskilled and skilled
personnel/labour would be lost hence there will be less production which
may lead to down fall of the economy.

 Lower economic growth; violence may lower the economic growth as

investors will not come to the country. When public property is damaged
as a result of the violent acts such as riots, money that could have been
used for other developments, has to be spent fixing or replacing the
damaged or destroyed property

 Refugee problem; as there is violence in the society, many people may

leave their homes or country to find safety in other countries. This leads
family breakdown.

 Displacement from settlements; political violence may result in people

being chased away from their homes; this may lead to poverty as their
property will be taken or left behind.
 Ill health; violence may lead to diseases in the society as people may be
crowded in refugee camps. This may also lead to water borne diseases as
sometimes they may be chased to unhygienic environment.

 Street kids; children may decide to run away from home to be street kids
to escape from violence. The society will be burdened with taking care of
them.

POSSIBLE RESPONSES TO VIOLANCE

1. VIOLENT RESPONSE
This means meeting violence with violence. If someone have been violent on to
you, you are going to revenge to him through violence. E.g. a person who is
battered by a spouse may decide to fight back or a country may decide to fight
back when attacked. There is a saying that goes “an eye for an eye “or
“violence breeds violence”.

2. PACIFISM
It means solving the differences in a peaceful way without using any violent
means. Mahatma Gandhi used to say ‘an eye for an eye and soon we shall
perish’. If people are having problems, they have to solve them through
discussions.

3. NEGOTIATION
It is another means of responding to violence whereby people meet and discuss
their differences and end up reaching a common agreement to solve their

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differences. Negotiation often involves both sides in a dispute accepting less
than what they originally wanted.

4. MEDIATION
When people fight against each other, an individual or a group of people who
are not involved in the conflict can be asked to mediate in order to end the
violence. Mediators are not supposed to take sides. Their role is to end the
conflict peacefully. E.g. in most cultures when a married couple fight, normally
their parents or close relatives act as mediators to encourage them to resolve
their conflicts peacefully.

5. SURRENDERING TO AVOID CONFLICT

Some people respond to violence by surrendering or giving into a violent person
or situation in order to avoid conflict. This kind of response is sometimes is
referred to as ‘turning the other cheek’ e.g. men and women who are victims of
domestic violence may remain in a violent relationship and even blame
themselves for the behaviour of the abuser

6. WALK OR RUN AWAY

Some people respond to violence by walking away or running away from a
violent person or situation. E.g. in war torn countries people run away and seek
refuge in other countries. In cases of domestic violence a person can leave the
home, and seek refuge with relatives, friends or organizations that help abused
people

CRIMES RELATED TO SEXUAL PRACTICES

- Killing or threats to kill a lover

Killing or threats to kill another person, including a sexual partner is considered
a crime in most countries including Botswana.

- Rape
Rape is forcing someone to have sexual intercourse against his or her will. Being
in a sexual relationship does not give one the right to force one’s partner to have
sexual intercourse

- Defilement
Defilement is having a sexual relationship with any person under the age of 16.
if a person is found guilty of defilement the penalty is a minimum of 10 years
and maximum of life imprisonment

- Homosexuality
Means being sexually attracted to people of the same sex, men are usually
attracted to other men, and women are sexually attracted to other women.

- Incest
Incest refers to sexual activity between family members who are closely related
by blood, for example, brothers and sisters, parents and children. According to

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the law in Botswana, incest is having sexual intercourse with someone who is
one’s grandchild, child, brother, sister or parent.

- Bigamy
In Botswana people who are married under civil marriage laws can only have
one living husband or wife at a time. If a person while still having a living
husband or wife marries someone else under civil marriage law, they are guilty
of the offence called bigamy

- Domestic violence
In Botswana, the domestic violence act of 2008 deals with violence in sexual
relationships. e.g. between couple that is married, cohabiting or dating. This act
considers any abusive behaviour that harms the health or safety of one’s sexual
partner as a crime

REASONS WHY LOVERS KILL EACH OTHER

Selfishness
Some people are selfish and only think about themselves and their needs. They
do not have empathy for others and are usually inconsiderate of the needs of
others. E.g. when the lover of a selfish person decides to end the sexual
relationship, he or she may feel rejected and decide to kill the ex lover.

Unfaithfulness and suspicion of unfaithfulness

In sexual relationships, most people expect their partners to be faithful. If one
partner is unfaithful or suspected to be unfaithful, his or her lover may become
bitter and have feelings of extreme jealousy, insecurity, anger, humiliation and
loss of dignity. if these feelings are not controlled and dealt with properly they
can result in person killing their lover as personal revenge.

Obsessive possessiveness
Possessiveness is a believe that one has to own something or someone as a
possession and feeling that one cannot function without it or them.
Possessiveness can become an obsession which may lead to unreasonable
behaviour and may result in some people killing their lovers.

Economic reasons
Some people kill their lovers when their lovers want to end the sexual
relationship because they feel that they have spent a lot of money on them.
Usually lovers spend money on each other.

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF KILLING A LOVE PARTNER

- killing ones lover is a violation of the dead person’s right to life

- killing a love partner violates morally acceptable ways of dealing with

problems in relationships, especially intimate relationships and of
expressing our discontent or unhappiness with our lovers

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 - Killing a love partner violates our understanding of what love is. It is
betrayal of the trust the partner had in the person they were having or had
an intimate relationship with

- The love partner who is killed may the mother or father of a child or
children the couple had together. This can be emotionally traumatic and
can also put the children in a moral dilemma. They do not know whether
to love and trust the parent who committed the crime.

- It can break up family relationships because the dead person’s family will
always blame and even hate the killer for the loss of their loved one

WAYS OF CURBING CRIMES RELATED TO SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS

Enforcing laws
The police should enforce laws by quickly arresting people who threaten their
sexual partners. The threats should never be treated as a private matter. There
are laws that make certain behaviour illegal. E.g. domestic violence act of 2008
makes it illegal to intimidate, harass, damage property, stalk and abuse a sexual
abuse.

Punishing people who commit crimes against their sexual partners

All crimes are punishable by the law, people who commit crimes against their
sexual partners should be tried in court of law and if found guilty, they should be
punished according to the law
Obtaining a restraining order
People who are being threatened or abused by their sexual partners can apply to
court of law for an order stopping their lover from threatening or abusing them
Counseling
Partners can go for counseling in order to find ways to solve their problems
peacefully. E.g. they can be taught conflict resolution skills and interpersonal
and coping skills
Infusion in school curriculum
Teaching learners about why it is wrong to commit crimes related to sexual
relationships and how to deal with problems that may arise in their
interpersonal relationships may help them to avoid engaging in crimes related to
sexual relationships

Public education
People can be educated on how to deal with problems which may occur in
relationships which could lead to crimes involving sexual partners, e.g. through
drama performances at public events and the mass media

PUNISHMENT

 This is the disciplinary action against somebody who has broken the
law or committed an offence.
 Punishment can be seen as a penalty given to an offender or someone
who has done wrong.

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TYPES OF PUNISHMENT

 Fine; the offender pays a certain amount specified by the court as a form
of punishment.
 Imprisonment; this means keeping someone in a correctional institution
for a period of time in such a way that s/he may not interact with the
public for a certain period of time.
 Probation: this is when a criminal usually a first time offender is let off
but warned. The offender is placed under official supervision for a period
of time not to repeat the same criminal activities.
 Manual labour; this involves giving an offender physical work for a
period of time e.g. cutting grass
 Corporal punishment; this involves giving an offender who has been
found guilty of breaking rules or laws some strokes/lashes (i.e.) whipping
 Capital punishment; this involves sentencing a criminal to death.
 Community arrest/service; this is when an offender has to work for
period of time helping in community projects or facilities.
 House arrest; this is when people are confined to their houses. This is
often used on political prisoners of high social status.
 Expulsion; being forced to leave the place or an institution as a form of
punishment.
 Compensation; the offender pays the equal financial loss to the victim.

MORAL ISSUES RELATING TO PUNISHMENT

- does the punishment fit the crime

A generally accepted principle of justice is that the punishment should fit the
crime. This means more serious offences should be punished more severely
than minor offences. This is seen as just and fair and therefore morally right.

- is the punishment cruel, abusive, inhuman or degrading

punishment is considered cruel, abusive, inhuman and degrading punishment
if it involves deliberately causing loss of dignity, damaging a persons physical
and mental health and inflicting severe pain and suffering on a person. Eg.
When a person is beaten until he/she faints

- does the punishment violate human rights

Some types of punishment are believed to violate human rights of the people
being punished. Eg. Some people believe capital punishment violate the right
to life

- Is the punishment age appropriate

Normally when children are punished, punishment is expected to be age
appropriate for their age. Children are not punished in the same way as
adults because they are considered immature and unable to make informed
decisions when they break rules and laws

- are people being punished equally and fairly

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 Punishing people equally means that people who commit similar crimes
should be given similar punishment. However they should also be punished
fairly.

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT

 It can help correcting deviant behaviour and maintain the moral
standards of the society. This is because most people fear pain and will
avoid misbehaving in order not to be beaten
 If correctly administered, only the wrong doers are punished. It is
instant punishment and does not involve inconveniencing other people
unlike other types of punishment such as detention
 It can help reduce overcrowding in prisons. This would allow prisons to
focus on rehabilitating and supervising offenders who have committed
more serious crimes
 Corporal punishment when administered in anger and excessively can
be cruel degrading and humiliating. It can also make children
rebellious
 can damage the relationship between parents, guardians or teachers
and children
 it has a negative effect on the self esteem of the person receiving the
punishment
 teaches people that it is morally acceptable to use violence and inflict
pain as a form of punishment

THE PURPOSE OF PUNISHMENT

1. Vindication
This is based on the desire to revenge not to forgive. This could be cruel or
unfair

2. Retribution
This is the idea that someone deserves to be punished, if s/he breaks the law.
The criminal is punished in such a way that s/he will feel the pain s/he has
caused the victim. This is ‘eye for an eye’ and ‘a tooth for a tooth’. It is assumed
that a person was aware of what s/he was doing and should pay the price for
bad behaviour. -it makes wrong doers pay a price for what they have done, that
is an eye for an eye. If you have done something wrong you have to be made to
feel the consequences so that you do not repeat it.
-it gives a clear message on a society’s expected moral behaviour, it means that
punishment serves at uplifting the societal norms of values of keep law and
order in society by punishing the wrong doers.

3. Rehabilitation/ Reformative
This is idea that someone can become a better person after a period of
punishment i.e reform or change the character of the criminal to a responsible
person. In contrast to retribution, it assumes that the criminal can not take full
responsibility of him/herself when s/he committed crime.

4. Protection

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This is intended to offer people security against criminals. The most common
way to offer security against criminals is to lock them up in prison. -it protect
people from criminals by putting them in prisons that is those wrong doers will
be separated from the society thus helping in reducing number of criminals
-to ensure that there is peace and harmony in society because wrong doers will
be put into trials and can end up being secluded

5. Deterrence
This is intended to scare off potential criminals. It aims to stop people from
committing crimes more than once and also hopes to stop people from ever
committing crime.

THE ROLE OF CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Correctional institutions are concerned with punishing criminals and improving
their behaviour

1. THE KGOTLA
-It tries cases and ensures that criminals are punished e.g. if someone stole a
goat he may repay back with a goat or two
- The Kgosi and the elders give the criminal guidance and counseling in order to
improve his behaviour
-it uses corporal punishment a lot in order to punish the criminal and to prevent
others who were thinking of doing the same offence.

2. PRISONS
-they protect the society from criminals by keeping criminals away from the
society
-they provide criminals with some opportunities for self improvement e.g. being
trained in carpentry, brick laying, and knitting.
-they act as deterrent because they discourage criminals from committing
crimes again and deter those who were thinking of committing similar crimes
- The criminals are offered guidance and counseling about the moral
implications and consequences of committing crimes

3. REHABILITATION CENTRES
- They are concerned with correcting and improving the behaviour of offenders
-they provide offenders with programmes that will help them to recognize what
they have done wrong, boost their self confidence and make them less likely to
commit crimes again.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Capital punishment refers to death penalty or when person who have committed
a serious crime is punished by being killed.

TYPES OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

- hanging the person by the neck

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- electrocution whereby a person is put into an electric chair and is given a
very large electric shock which will kill him
- lethal injection is when a person is given an injection that causes instant
death
- firing squad the person is blind folded and a small group of soldiers shoot
him/her till he/she dies
- Stoning
- Gas chamber
- beheading

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

 It deters some people from committing offence s punishable by death

such as murder
 By putting a dangerous criminal to death ensures that he or she does
not re-offend and the rest of society would feel safer
 People, who are found guilty of serious crimes such as murder, do not
deserve to live. By committing such crimes, they would have given up
their right to life
 The death penalty brings justice to the victim, the victim’s family and
the offender
 There is a risk of killing innocent people because the police who
investigate cases and judges in the courts are not perfect
 It is permanent and irreversible form of punishment. It is morally
unacceptable to impose punishment on people that leaves no possibility
of correcting wrongful convictions and helping people reform

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HUMAN RIGHTS
Human rights are
-universal ethical principles
-are universal moral rights that belong morally to all people because they are all
human beings
-are what people are entitled to irregardless of their gender race and colour or
age
A right is an entitlement

ARTICLE 1
- “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act
towards one another in the spirit of brotherhood”
This article states that all people are free and equal simply because they are
human beings. People should be treated the same and there should be no
discrimination. Human beings can tell the difference between right and wrong,
so they should treat each other well. Our conscience and ability to reason should
enable us to treat each other in the spirit of brotherhood and that involves
treating each other with kindness, dignity, equality, fairness, respect empathy,
generosity, botho etc.

REASONS FOR UPHOLDING THIS HUMAN RIGHT

- To encourage people to treat others as equally worthy to be treated with
respect and dignity
- To encourage individuals and governments to act in a morally acceptable
ways
- To give individuals a sense of worth or that they are valuable simply
because they are human
- To protect individuals from discrimination, abuse and exploitation
especially by governments and individuals who have power
- This is the minimum necessary for human beings to live in dignity

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ARTICLE 2.
- “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in
this declaration, without distinction of any kind such as race,
colour, sex, language, religion, political, or other opinion, national
or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no
distinction shall be made on the basis of political, jurisdictional or
international status of the country or territory to which a person
belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self governing or
under any other limitation or sovereignty”
This article acknowledges that people and countries are different in many ways.
However the article requires that these differences should not prevent people
from enjoying their rights and freedoms as stated in the UDHR. Human rights
are for all, without distinction and regardless of the status of the country or
territory to which they belong. This article is based on the principles of equality
and non-discrimination in the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental
freedoms

REASONS FOR UPHOLDING THIS HUMAN RIGHT

- It protects all human beings from suffering as a result of being denied
their human rights
- It protects individuals from discrimination
- It encourages tolerance and respect for all human beings regardless of our
differences

ARTICLE 4
- “No one should be held in slavery or servitude; slavery or the slave
trade shall be prohibited in all their forms”

Article 4 prohibits slavery, servitude and the slave trade in all their forms.
Slavery is the status or condition of a person who is owned by another person as
his or her property. Servitude is the condition of being forced to work for
someone else and having no freedom to determine ones way of life. Slavery is a
form of servitude. Slave trade refers to the buying and selling of human beings
so that they can be used as slaves

REASONS FOR UPHOLDING THIS HUMAN RIGHT

- To prevent exploitation of other people by forcing them to work under
harsh conditions and not paying them
- To encourage people to treat others with dignity. Making other person to
work as a slave violates their right to dignity
- To enable all human beings to enjoy their human rights and freedoms

ARTICLE 13
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within
the boarders of each state.

2. Everyone has a right to leave any country, including his own, and to
return to his country

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This article protects the right of individuals to move freely and choose where to
live within a country. Freedom of movement and residence within a country is
essential for one to be able to travel, work, or build a home in any part of the
country. International travel and migration and being able to return to ones
country of origin are also protected by this article. For instance a person should
be able to legally go and work or study in another country and come back to his
or her country.

THE REASONS FOR UPHOLDING THIS RIGHT

- To protect the independence and autonomy of every individual to decide
when to travel, where to and where to live for example people can go to
other countries to study or work.
- To protect t the right of refugees and other migrants to return to their
countries of origin, even if they have been away for many years

ARTICLE 15
1. Everyone has a right to a nationality.
2. no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality or denied the
right to change his nationality

This article protects every person’s right to a nationality, which is a person’s

status of belonging to a particular nation or state. It also protects individuals
from having their nationality taken away or being prevented from changing
nationality or n o good reason. Having a nationality is important because it is
part of a person’s identity.

REASONS FOR UPHOLDING THIS HUMAN RIGHT

- Having a nationality gives people a sense of belonging, identity and worth
- Nationality enables individuals to claim protection for their human rights
from the country they belong to. Without nationality, a person becomes
stateless and cannot claim to be a citizen of any country or state.

ARTICLE 16

1- Men and woman of full age, without any limitation due to race,
nationality or religion, have a right to marry and to found a family.
They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage
and its dissolution
2- Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent
of the intending spouses
3- The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and
is entitled to protection by society and the state

This article protects the rights of every adult to marry and have children if they
want to. A person cannot be prevented from marrying and having children due
to their race, nationality or religion. Men and women have the same rights when
they marry and when they divorce. Individuals have to give their free and full
consent and should not be forced to marry.

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REASONS FOR UPHOLDING THIS HUMAN RIGHT

- To ensure that no adult is denied the right to marry and establish a family
- It promotes gender equality. Men and women have the same marriage and
divorce rights
- It recognises the autonomy of individuals and their right not to be forced
into marriages
- The family is recognised as the foundation of the society and should be
protected by society and the state

WHY WE SHOULD NOT VIOLATE OTHER PEOPLES RIGHTS TO ATTAIN

OUR RIGHTS

- All human beings are equally entitled to human rights, therefore when we
claim or exercise our rights, we should do it in the ways that do not
prevent others from enjoying these rights. It is important that each person
is able to enjoy his or her rights without interference

- Not violating other peoples rights can help create peace and harmony in
society. Violating another person’s right to attain ones rights may results
in conflicts people between people which could lead to violence.

- Not violating the rights of others shows tolerance and promotes mutual
respect. Mutual respect and tolerance are essential for building good
relationships among people. Good relationships lead to people to trust
each other and live and work well together

- We should lead by example by allowing other people to enjoy their rights

as we exercise ours. It would not be fair or just to demand that other
people respect our rights when we don’t respect theirs

- By not violating other peoples rights we are carrying out moral duty to
respect human dignity and equality

POSSIBLE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN BOTSWANA

- violence against women and the abuse of women

- corporal punishment- this is commonly used in our customary courts and
schools
- incest, rape and other forms of child abuse

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 - capital punishment- it is a violation because it denies people the right to
life
- Relocation of Basarwa from the Kalahari game reserve- they have lost
access to their ancestral land. They are vulnerable to exploitation due to
isolation, ignorance of rights and lack of representation in local or national
government
- Ageism- it is common in Setswana culture to discriminate old people
because they are usually associated with witchcraft.
- Tribalism- we still have people who discriminate others on the basis of
tribe in Botswana
- Discrimination against people with disabilities
- The failure of the ministry of education to provide schooling in indigenous
languages for minority tribes, this amounts to discrimination on ethnic
basis
- Obtaining evidence through coercion(force) by the prosecution, despite
the fact that such evidence is not accepted in Botswana courts
- Child labour
- Discrimination of women in customary marriages- women in customary
marriages are still regarded as minors under the control and authority of
their husbands
- Discrimination against men
- Mob justice
-

POSSIBLE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS ELSEWHERE

1. SLAVERY AND SERVITUDE

A slave is a person who is ill-treated and owned by another person and he/she
has no rights as an individual as he/she is treated as slavery, people are made to
work heavy tasks against their will and they are not paid. In the past, there has
been slave trade whereby black people were traded because they were seen as
inferior and inhuman

2. THE USE OF TORTURE

The use of torture to get information or confessions from people suspected of

having committed crimes and to punish political opponents occurs across the
world

3. DEATH PENALTY
The death penalty is still used in many countries to punish various crimes. Some
use it only for murder and treason. Others use it for various crime s including
drug trafficking corruption and adultery.
.

4. DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF HIV STATUS

Discrimination against people who are HIV positive has been reported in many
countries. For example some people living with AIDS have been denied

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employment and training opportunities or have been dismissed from work
because of their status

5. RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE

Religious intolerance has been reported in many countries in the world.

Sometimes this has led to violent attacks against people of different religions
and to discriminatory laws being made

5. ATTACKS ON FOREIGN IMMIGRANTS

Attacks by citizens on foreign immigrants has been reported in many countries,

including South Africa, Germany etc. foreigners are attacked for a variety of
reasons, including xenophobia and the claim by the citizens that the foreigners
are taking away their jobs by accepting low wages

JUSTIFICATION FOR ACTIONS THAT MAY BE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

Death penalty
Supporters of the death penalty give various reasons to justify the use of capital
punishment. Below are some of the reasons they give.
- By committing murder, the murderer loses his or her right to life.
- It deters others from committing crimes punishable by death such as murder.
`
- A dangerous criminal cannot re-offend once they are put to death. This helps
make the society safer.
- The death penalty brings justice to the victim and victim’s family.

Corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is still practiced in some societies, including Botswana.
Supporters of corporal punishment give various reasons as justification for use
of corporal punishment. Below are some of the reasons they give.
- it helps in moral development of the children because it corrects deviant
behaviour. For example, the setswana proved ‘ya mosimane ke e nkgwe’
encourages the use of corporal punishment in disciplining children
- Corporal punishment is part of the traditional culture of the community. It has
always been used to punish offenders and is an accepted by the community.
- It helps reduce overcrowding in prisons because instead of sending offenders
to prison, they receive their Punishment quickly and are released.

Child labour
Some people give the following reasons to justify the use of child labour.
- Many of these children are from very poor families. The money they earn
enables their families to pay for their basic needs and to survive.
- Preventing children from working on farms, in factories, mines and private
homes, may lead some of them to engage in immoral ways of earning
money for example, through stealing, selling illegal drugs, and even
prostitutions.

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The use of torture
Some of the reasons gives by governments to justify torturing people suspected
of committing crimes include the following
- it enables the police and security officers to get confessions that suspest
would not otherwise make voluntarily.
- The information obtained from suspects can help solve crimes or prevent
further crimes being committed.

Discrimination on the basis of HIV status

Some of the reasons given for discriminating against people who are HIV
positive include ;
-they may infect other people around them, for example friends, co-workers or
school mates
-an HIV positive person will become sick in future. The company cannot afford to
employ and pay someone who will be absent from work often due to an HIV
related illness.

Religious intolerance.
Some of the reasons given to justify religious intolerance or discrimination
include;
- a particular religion is the only true religion or faith. Other religions or
faiths are false or wrong.
- Members of a particular religion or faith are a threat to the security of the
country.
- The beliefs and teachings of a religion are against the political, moral and
social values held by the majority of people in the society.
-
HOW HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AFFECTED HUMAN LIFE

Human rights violations have many negative effects on the life of individuals.
Violations also affect whole groups of people such as families and communities.
Below are some effects of human right violations on human life.

Loss of life
Some human rights violations may lead to death of some individuals whose
rights are violated. Some women have died as a result of domestic violence. It
can also result in loss of life for the person who violates the rights of others, for
example, a person who commits murder may be sentenced to death as
punishment. The denial of right to health care can lead to the unnecessary
deaths of people from diseases that are preventable or can easily be cured with
available medicines.

Physical and emotional trauma

Victims of human rights violations acts such as domestic violence, torture and
rape may suffer from physical injuries and emotional trauma. Some of them may
be unable to work and live a normal life again because of their experiences.

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Physical injuries caused by torture may result in a person being paralysed and to
walk again.

Disruption to family life

Human rights violations such as arbitrary arrests and the unlawful killing of
political opponents or crime suspects can disrupt family life. If the victim is the
breadwinner of the family, his or her family can become poorer as a result.

People’s ability to earn a living is limited

Human rights violation can affect the ability of people to earn a living and
improve the quality of their life. For example, people who are denied the right to
.education will not have opportunities get the skills, knowledge and
qualifications they need to seek good paying jobs. Arbitrary arrest and
imprisonment without being tried by a court of law can lead to people losing
their jobs.
In South Africa, under the apartheid system, black people were offered poor
quality education and most well paying jobs were reserved for white people. As
a result, even after apartheid was abolished, the majority of black people are
still very poor. Most of the unemployed are black people.

Lack of peace and security

When there is violation of human rights in a country, conflict between
communities may occur which may lead to civil war. War and conflicts may
result in people being attacked in their homes .the lack of safety, usually forces
them to become refugees in other countries. For example, in war torn countries
such as Somalia, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, many people
have fled and sought refuge in other countries in Africa and elsewhere.

OTHER EFFECTS COULD BE THE FOLLOWING;

1. PERSONAL 2. SOCIAL
Fear hatred
Low self esteem depression
Death lack of trust in humanity
Physical and emotional pain anger
Psychological trauma

3. GLOBAL

Wars
conflicts
Mistrust between nations
Lack of social, economic and cultural development

ORGANISATIONS THAT RESPOND TO HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

1. AFRICAN UNION
It has laid objectives that it uses to ensure that all African citizens have access
to the basic rights to safety, education, peace, health and stability. E.g. the

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economic cooperation in transportation and communication, healthy sanitation,
cooperation for defence and security. One of the objectives of the AU is to
promote and to protect Human and the people’s rights in accordance with the
African charter on human and people’s rights and other relevant Human Rights
instruments

2. RED CROSS SOCIETY

The main task of Red Cross is to care for the sick, destitute’s, provide social
welfare, HIV/AIDS programme, blood donation, to help those who are affected
by natural disasters like floods and hunger. Its work is guided by the principle
that all human beings have the right to life.

3. EMANG BASADI WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION

It aims at removing all the laws that discriminate against women at home and at
the work place. It also offers psychological and legal advice to abused women.
Increases awareness among women and the public in general about the specific
problems faced by women in all sectors. It also mobilise women to take steps
that will help change the social, political, economic and legal position of women
in Botswana.

4. WOMEN AGAINST RAPE (WAR)

It is a human right organisation which assists mainly women and children who
have been raped and sexually abused. They do also help men who need their
services

5. THE BOTSWANA CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (DITSHWANELO)

It hosts workshops in which it offers information and advocates on human rights

issues, with the main aim of promoting and protecting human rights, especially
for the underprivileged and discriminated. It ensures that every citizens rights
are observed as stated in the declaration.

6. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

It is a voluntary body and is independent of any government, political faction,

ideology or religion. It is responsible to protect human life all over the world
especially to fight against imprisonment and torture of prisoners of conscience
that is people locked up for their beliefs or religions. It aims at fair trials on
people who are imprisoned and to abolish the death penalty throughout the
world. It also campaigns against immigration laws, which prevent women and
their families from joining their husbands in different countries.

7. BOTSWANA NETWORK ON ETHICS, LAW AND HIV/AIDS (BONELA)

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The aim of the organisation is to create a just environment for those infected
and affected by HIV and AIDS. It strives to fight HIV related stigma and
discrimination and to promote respect for human rights

SUCCESSES AND LIMITATIONS OF ORGANISATIONS

ORGANISATION SUCCESS LIMITATIONS

AMNESTY -With its publication of -requires more material
INTERNATIONAL countries, which violate human and human resources to do
rights, most countries are a better job.
improving their way of treating -hindered by a serious lack
people. of cooperation by certain
-has more than 2.2 million governments and
members supporters and unconstitutional policies
subscribers in over 150 made within some
countries countries
DITSHWANELO -has established a fulltime -lack of adequate resources
human rights centre and both material and human.
organized many human rights -Poor moral support from
debates. many local stakeholders.
-it has succeeded in informing -ignorance by many
and educating people against citizens concerning their
the cases they have been rights due to lack of
unfairly judged education.
-has done much to educate
people about the dangers of
HIV/AIDS
ORGANISATION - it has settled boarder disputes -there are disputes
OF AFRICAN -it has supported blacks between members that
UNITY majority rules in some OAU cannot solve.
countries -disagreements between
countries leading to action
taken
RED CROSS -has build day care centers for -lack of safety e.g. during
children’s education and wars
rehabilitation centers -lack of moral support
-offers emotional support -lack of human and natural
-raising funds to help the needy resources
-support is given to those who
need it, e.g. restitutes, those
affected by natural disasters

DISTINGUISH BETWEEN GENDER AND SEX

 Sex refers to the biological characteristics that a person is born with as a

male or female

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  Gender refers to characteristics or attributes such as the social and
cultural roles, rights, responsibilities and behaviour that a particular
society or culture consider appropriate for males and females.

PRACTICES THAT VIOLATE WOMEN’S RIGHTS

A) MARRIAGE RIGHTS

Women have less marriage rights than men. According to the Botswana
marriage act when parents of a minor disagree on the consent of a minor’s
marriage, the father’s consent is sufficient for the minor to get married. All
people should be treated equally because women rights are human rights. They
have the same saying as the males. Women are to be respected for their skill
and knowledge in the matters of childcare, cooking and house keeping

B) ECONOMIC RIGHTS

Women have less property than men. If they need something, e.g. getting a bank
loan, they have to seek permission from their husbands. Nowadays they are free
to own property and are entitled to apply for the same jobs as men and get the
same pay

C) DIVORCE RIGHTS

Women are also entitled to sign divorce papers to their husbands if they feel the
marriage does not work. She has the right to divorce her husbands on the
grounds of adultery, desertation and unreasonable behaviour
D) FORCED MARRIAGES
some parents force their daughters to marry. Girls as young as 13 years have
been forced into marriages arranged by their parents. Such cases have been
reported in countries such as United Kingdom, Zambia Nigeria and others.

E) WIFE SECLUSION
It refers to the practice of not allowing a married woman to interact with the
members of the public. She is kept isolated from the outside world and she can
only leave her home with the permission of the husband. When she goes out her
whole body must be covered. this practice is found in Islamic societies such as
Saudi Arabia and Nigeria

PRACTICES THAT VIOLATE MEN’S RIGHTS

1. RESPONSIBILITIES CONCERNING CHILDREN

Responsibilities of men and women over the care of the children are not
balanced. Only men can be charged and punished for child maintenance. This
may be done irregardless of the financial status of the man. Even though the

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husbands are sometimes denied the custody of their children they may be
directed to pay maintenance fees until the children reach 21 years of age.

2. SEXUAL HARASSMENT

In the Botswana penal code, females (unlike males) are supposed to be

protected from different forms of sexual abuse and harassment, like indecent
assault, defilement of girls under 16 years, detention of females for immoral
purposes etc. this needs to be changed as males also need protection.

3. PUNISHMENT

Male punishment is often harsher than the female punishment. E.g. the
Botswana penal code states that “ no sentence of corporal punishment shall be
passed upon females”. According to the Botswana education act, male students
can be beaten on their buttocks, backs and palms of the hand but female
students can be beaten on the palms.

STATUS OF MEN AND WOMEN IN MARRIAGE

In Botswana, the status of men and women in marriage depends on the marriage
law under which a couple is married. There are two legal systems for marriage;
the common or civil and the customary law.

Status of men and women in customary law marriage

Under the customary law, men and women do not have the same status. The
abolition of Marital Power Act 2005 which indicates that indicates that men and
women shall have equal powers in marriage, does not apply to people married
under the customary law. In customary law marriages, men have marital power
over women. Husbands are the heads of their families and they have
guardianship rights over women and children.

Under the customary law,

 If a married couple divorce, the custody of the children is traditionally
granted to the father’s family.
 Women have limited rights to family assets and resources. For example
cattle are said to belong to men.
 Polygamy is acceptable; however a man can only take another wife with
the consent of the first wife.
 Where there is no written will, the eldest son has more property
inheritance rights than his sisters and mother. The widow and daughters
are not entitled to inherit much of the family estate, especially valuable
property such as cattle. The eldest son is regarded as the principal heir
and becomes the guardian of his mother and sisters.

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Status of men and women in common or civil law marriage

In Botswana, people who marry under the common can choose to marry ‘in
community’ or ‘out of community of property’. Below is the status of men and
women in marriage ‘in community of property’ and ‘out of community of
property’.

Status of men and women in community of property

Since the abolition of Marital Power Act of 2005 was passed, men and women
married in community of property have equal status in the ownership and
control of family property and resources, including the property they owned
before they got married. In addition,

 They can register immovable property in their own names.

 No spouse can sell or get rid of property without the consent of the other.
The act requires that the consent of the other spouse has to be sought
when selling or giving away property since the property is jointly owned.
 In case of the death of the spouse, the surviving spouse has the legal right
to inherit the property.
 Decisions in the family have to be jointly made. The views of the husband
and wife should be taken into consideration during the decision making
process.

Status of men and women out of community of property

Being married out of community of property means that the husband and wife
own their property separately, except where it can be proven that they both
contributed to the cost of buying the property. In case of death of the spouse,
the surviving spouse only has the legal right to inherit the property jointly
owned. For property individually owned, each partner can decide who his or her
beneficiaries are.

STATUS OF MEN AND WOMEN IN EDUCATION

When formal education was introduced in Botswana, many families did not
consider taking girls to school. Most of the children who were sent to school
were boys. Many families preferred to pay school fees for a boy child because
boys were expected to become providers for their families later in life. Girls
were socialised to know that they do not need to be educated because they
would marry and be provided by their husbands.

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In present day Botswana, males and girls have equal status in access to
education and training. However, some subject choices still appear to be gender
biased.

STATUS OF MEN AND WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT

Men have led development in Botswana because they occupy most of the
leadership and decision making positions in private companies and government.
Men also own and control most of the resources that individuals use to create
wealth, for example, cattle and land, and as a result, men dominated
development efforts in the country. Formal employment statistics also show that
more men than women are employed.

Increasing acceptance and understanding of gender equality has helped improve

the status of women in development. For example,

 Discriminatory laws were changed to allow women to work underground

in mines and married women can apply for loans without having to seek
approval of their husbands first.

 Women now actively participate in the development of the country in

various ways. For instance, some are business owners, many women are in
formal employment and a few hold high positions of leadership in private
companies and in government.

 The government has invested a lot of money improving facilities and

services for the health care of women, for example, ante-natal clinics, and
prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV.
THE STATUS OF MEN AND WOMEN IN ZIMBABWE

THE STATUS OF MEN AND WOMEN IN MARRIAGE

The status of men and women in marriage in Zimbabwe varies according to the
law under which the couple is married. E.g. civil law marriage or customary law
marriage

- Polygyny is not allowed under civil marriages

- in civil marriages spouses have equal rights with regard to parental
authority
- The legal minimum age for civil marriage is 18 years for men and 16 years
for women. This makes the girl more vulnerable to early marriages, early
pregnancies, and premature motherhood.

- The customary marriage act allows a man to marry many wives. Under
this act a man can sue for adultery but the wife cannot do the same

- young widows an be inherited by their late husbands relatives and more

often the brother

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 - Some men dominate women. they have more control and power in the
family matters than their wives

- Their are some cases in which childless widows are chased from their
homes by their in-laws

THE STATUS OF MEN AND WOMEN IN EDUCATION

Currently Zimbabwe is one of the countries with a high literacy rate compared
to after independence when the country inherited a racially biased education
system from the colonial government. This education negatively affected the
black people especially women. It lowered the status of men and women in
education.

The political and economic crises in Zimbabwe have negatively affected the
education system. since education in Zimbabwe is not free, parents struggle to
keep their children in schools and schools have a serious shortage of resources

THE STATUS OF MEN AND WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT

Traditionally men dominated development because they owned or controlled

most of the economic resources e.g. land cattle, and money. They also
dominated the important political and economic positions in the society. Most
women did not own or control resources that would have enabled them to
participate effectively in economic development. However as a result of efforts
by various non-governmental organisations and the government, more women
are able to participate in and benefit from development

CHILDREN’S RIGHTS

What are children’s rights?

-What children are entitled to or have.
-Are there principles of fairness and justice that ensure children’s freedom?

CHILD
-According to the UN charter a child is person under the age of 18.
-the children’s act defines a child as the person under the age of 14.
-adoption of the children act defines a child as the person under the age of 19.

Law Position of a child in the Rights of a child in the law

law
The defilement -A child is a person under The right to be protected from
of a child act the age of 16 sexual abuse and exploitation
-A child is a minor who
legally is not old enough to
give informed consent to sex
The -The minimum age for basic - The right to be protected
employment employment of children is 15 from economic exploitation

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act years. and from hazardous work.
-The minimum age for basic - The right of the child to
employment of children for rest and leisure, to engage
hazardous work is 18 years. in play and recreational
-The law protects children activities.
from being exploited as - The right to education.
cheap labour and being
exposed to situations which
endanger their life.
The child -A child is a person below - The right to protection
maintenance the age of 18 years. from neglect.
Act However, if the child is still - The right to a standard of
a student, the age limit can living adequate for his or
be extended until such time her physical, mental,
when a child is no longer a spiritual, moral and social
dependent. development.
The Adoption -A child is a person under -The right to a standard of living
of a child the age of 19. adequate for his or her physical,
-A child is a minor, so the mental, spiritual, moral and
law requires that a court of social development.
law has to approve an -The right to be protected from
adoption. This is done in abuse, neglect and exploitation.
order to protect the rights
and interests of the child to
be adopted.
-A child cannot apply to be
adopted. It is the adult or
the adults, who want to
adopt the child who have to
apply for permission to
adopt.
Deserted -A child is the person under -The right to a standard of living
Wives and the age of 16 years, or who adequate for his or her physical,
Children is older than 16 tears but mental, spiritual, moral and
Protection less than 21 years old and is social development.
Act not earning his or her own -The right to be protected from
living. any form of abuse.
-A child is said to being
having been deserted by his
or her father if that child is
without adequate means of
support and the father has
without sufficient cause
refused or neglected to
provide such a child with
food or other necessaries of
life, or the child has left or
has been removed from the
home of the father because

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 of the acts of cruelty of the
father or the father is a
habitual drunkard.

THE RIGHTS OF A CHILD AS INDICATED IN THE CHILDREN’S

CHARTER

 The right to be treated without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of

race, colour, sex, language, religion or other status.
 The right to life, survival and development.
 The right to be registered immediately after birth, have a name, a
nationality and to preserve his or her identity.
 The right to be protected from injury or abuse including sexual abuse,
while in the care of parents or any other person.
 The right to a standard of living adequate for the child’s mental, spiritual,
moral and social development.
 The right to education that develops the child’s personality, talents and
mental and physical abilities.
 The right to be protected from economic exploitation, from hazardous
work and all other forms of exploitation.
 The right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities
appropriate to the age of the child.
 The right to enjoy his or her own culture, religion or language.
 The right to the highest attainable standard of health including access to
primary health care, nutritious foods and clean drinking water.
 The right of the disabled child to special care and the right to enjoy a full
and decent life in conditions which ensure dignity.

CHILDREN’S RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING;

Learn and be aware of their rights.

When children are aware of their rights they will be able to know when their
rights are being violated. They will know what is right and wrong and know
when they are being exploited.

Report violations of their rights

Children who are abused by elderly people should take the responsibility
and report the behaviour. At
times parents and care givers are unable to identify when their children are
abused until the children
report the act. Reporting a violation of rights will bring a stop to the abuse
and make a child to take
control of their life and develop well.

Not violate the rights of other people

Children have the responsibility not to violate other people’s rights. They
should respect other
people’s rights, both young and old.

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 Work hard at school and do the best they can
Children have a right to education, however, they have a responsibility to
work hard at school and
do the best they can. It is the child’s responsibility to pay attention in
class, do their assignments on
time and prepare well for tests and examinations.

Obey family rules and the laws of the country

Families have rules which govern the behaviour and rules of its members.
Children have the responsibility to obey those rules. For example, older
children may be required to help at home by doing age appropriate family
chores. They may be asked to be responsible for giving food to their families’
pets. Children also have the responsibility to obey and uphold the laws of
their country.

THE PLACE OF CHILD IN THE FAMILY AND SOCIETY

 Children represent the continuity of the family and society. Children are
the future generation. They grow up to become adults and have children of
their own. They are the future leaders of the society. This allows the family
and the society to continue to exist.
 Children bring happiness and pleasure to the family. Most parents want to
have children of their own to love and watch them grow. In many cultures,
having children is seen as a sign of adulthood.
 In patrilineal cultures the boy child is valued because he carries the family
name. When he grows up, marries and has children, the children bear his
surname. This helps to continue the family name.
 Children help with the family chores such as cooking, cleaning, washing
and sweeping. In the past, children were an important source of labour in
the family, for example, they helped raise crops and livestock. For the
society, children are the future workers. This is why countries spend a lot
of money on educating and training children and young adults.
 In cultures where bogadi is given to the woman’s family upon marriage,
the girl child is valued for her future potential to bring wealth to her
family.
 In some cultures, children were valued because later on in life, they took
care of their elderly parents and would advise them. A Setswana proverb
says ‘ Botlhale jwa phala bo tswa phalaneng’ meaning that children can
advise their parents.
 Children are considered the rightful heirs to their parent’s property.

THE PLACE OF A CHILD WITH DISABILITY IN THE SOCIETY

Some children have disabilities, for example, they may be visually or hearing
impaired or have a physical or mental disability. It is important that children

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with disabilities are equally important in the society and are worthy of special
care and protection like all other children.

Children with disability in Botswana are entitled to all the rights and protections
stated in the UN Children’s Charter. They are also entitled to the rights stated
in the Constitution and to the children’s rights protected laws of Botswana

Disability is not inability and therefore children who have disabilities should be
given opportunities to develop and use their talents as best as they can. For
example, special education relevant to their disability should be made available
to enable them to go to school. Public buildings such as schools, clinics,
hospitals and offices can provide ramps, wide doors, and special toilets to
accommodate children who use wheel chairs.

PARALLELS BETWEEN THE BOTSWANA’S CONSTITUTION AND THE

CHILDREN’S CHARTER

Both the constitution and the charter put emphasis on certain rights. For
example;

-The right to life

-the right to education.
-the right to privacy.
-the right to freedom of expression.
-The right to name and nationality.
-The right to protection from all forms of discrimination
- The right to protection against any form of abuse and inhuman treatment

The difference that we find that the constitution at tempts to into practice
include the following ;

*the age of which someone is a child in the constitution is when he/she is under
the age of 21 but in the charter is 18 years.
*Botswana law does not guarantee non-discrimination on the basis of gender.
*provision of right within Botswana’s constitution do not have certain restriction
however, enjoyment of right in children charter do have certain restrictions
* Unmarried women have the responsibility of raising the child alone without
contact from the father.
*in the constitution and in education act it is unclear in addressing punishment
but charter for birds punishment and regard it as inhuman treatment.
Different acts vary in their definition of a child e.g. the children’s act says that a
child is a person under the age of 14, while the adoption of children’s act says
that a child is a person under the age of 19

CHILD ABUSE
It is deliberate cause of pain and suffering to children.
- any deliberate act by an adult that violates the rights of a child and harms
the welfare and the wellbeing of the child

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COMMON CHILD ABUSE PRACTICES.

1. PHYSICAL ABUSE.
Physical abuse involves the deliberate use of physical force that causes pain
and injury to the physical body
The abuse affects the body e.g. severe beating, broken bone, and bruises on
different parts of the body, swollen body parts, wounds, and burns. It can also
take the form of kicking, pinching, scratching or pulling the hair. This affects
the body of a child and can sometimes lead to death if it excessive.

2. EMOTIONAL VERBAL AND MENTAL ABUSE.

Emotional abuse involves practices that hurt a child’s feelings and negatively
affect the child’s self concept, self esteem and self confidence
Examples of emotional abuse include, constant and unfair criticism, humiliating
a child, threatening a child, ignoring a child, preventing a child from engaging in
normal social interactions, not showing love and affection to a child, nagging
etc.

3. SEXUAL ABUSE

This may include rape or any form of sexual contacts, sexual harassment,
encouraging children to watch pornographic videos, incest. The child may end
up showing signs of inappropriate behavior, acting older than their age, inability
to form healthy relationships.
Other forms of child abuse include torture, abduction, denying the child the
right to education.

CAUSES OF CHILD ABUSE.

-alcohol and drug abuse.

-unreliable expectations from the child.
-unwanted childbirth.
-social isolation and rejection.
-marital conflicts and misunderstanding.
-shortage /or overcrowded accommodation.
-lack of family structure and stability.
-the ‘circle of disadvantage’, where by the parent’s abuse their children because
they have been abused when still young and their children later do the same.

SITUATIONS THAT MAY LEAD TO CHILD ABUSE

1. ACCEPTING GIFTS

Abusers normally tempt children by buying them presents and offering gifts and
in return demand sexual favours
2. DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE

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 Children who use drugs or are given drugs and alcohol by the abusers are likely
to indulge in unplanned sex or are even raped because they will be under the
influence of such drugs

3. POVERTY
Children from poor families may be tempted into prostitution in order to get
material support such as clothes, food, money etc.

4. SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES

A parent who has lost a loved one can be frustrated, lonely and stressed and
may end up abusing the children.

5. STEP PARENT FAMILY

Stepparents may sexually abuse their stepchildren because there is no biological
or emotional link between them.

6. OVERCROWDED OR INADEQUATE ACCOMMODATION,

This can encourage incest and under- aged sex because of lack of individual
privacy

THE MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF CHILD ABUSE

- Morality demands that we should not deliherately harm others, especially

those who cannot protect themselves and are therefore most vulnerable,
such as children. Child abuse harms children. Child abuse harms children.
It has serious negative effects on children and may affect their behaviour,
personality, health and ability to live normally for the rest of their lives.
This makes child abuse morally unacceptable

- Peole who abuse children are doing what is morally unacceptable,

therefore every individual and government has a morally duty to prevebt
it. Report it and stop it. People should be informed and awareness should
be raised about child abuse issues. Offenders should be punished

- Parents and other adults have a moral duty to love and care for children.
Child abuse is an abondonment of this duty and it is the ultimate form of
betrayal of trust in a relationship between a parent and a child or an adult
and a child.
- The consequences of reporting child abuse can create a moral dilemma for
the child who is being abused, the person who is dealing with the child
abuse case, and other people who may be aware of the abuse. For example
reporting the abuse may lead to..
 The break up of the family
 the child being thrown out of the home and becoming homeless
 invasion of the privacy of the child and family
 a moral dilemma. If an abused child tels you about the abuse and
asks you to keep it a secret

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THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING CARE OF A CHILD
- Children cannot take care of themselves. They depend on their parents
and other adults to provide for and meet all their needs, for example, food,
clothing and shelter. Children who are not well cared for may:
 Suffer from malnutrition and die young
 Be forced to drop out of school and work in order to earn a living to
survive
 Become involved

THE EFFECTS OF CARING FOR ONES CHILDREN

CHILD ABANDONMENT

Abandonment is to neglect, desert or leave alone

REASONS FOR CHILD ABANDONMENT

a. UNPLANNED AND UNPLANNED PREGNANCY

Women who fall pregnant as a result of rape or incest normally desert their
babies

b. TEENAGE PREGNANCY

Young girls who fall pregnant find the reality of raising a child as difficult and
stressing. They normally throw away, kill, or leave the baby alone in the bushes
because they are afraid of their parents and want to continue with their
education

c. POVERTY
Children from poor families may be tempted to prostitution in order to feed
themselves, get money to buy drugs, clothes and even money. Poor families that
cannot feed their children normally leave them behind so that someone can find
them and take care of them. Sometimes they leave the babies in the act of
showing love and desperation and what is best for the children.

d. SINGLE PARENTHOOD
Single parenthood can be a very difficult and traumatic experience a
women .When they are kept by their babies father and mothers cannot
provide for the child’s need she can child or leave it with other family
member

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 THE MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF CHILD ABANDONMENT

THE POSITION OF THE LAW WITH REGARD TO CHILD

ABANDONMENT

In Botswana the law that the parents have to care for their children until the age
of 21. If parents fail to provide for their children and are found guilty, they may
be imprisoned, punished and made to pay maintenance of child abuse.

SOLUTIONS TO CHILD ABANDONMENT

-Avoiding unwanted pregnancies by the best use of contraceptives

-Acceptance of children irrespective of their physical or mental disabilities
-More severe punishment by the law courts
-Seeking adoption societies
-Support given to families for children with disabilities
-Support given to single parents
-Children’s rights been known by everyone and enforced by law.

ANIMAL RIGHTS

Just like human beings, animals have rights. These rights also have to be
respected. Even the smallest of all animals do have rights. Just the mere fact
that they exist on along with human beings should indicate that they have a
purpose to serve. These animals play a very important role in the environment
as they balance the ecosystem.

FUNCTIONS OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS

- They are source of food e.g. they produce meat and milk
- They can be used to provide security. e.g. dogs
- They can be used to provide transport, e.g. donkeys and horses
- They can be used as pets e.g. dogs and cats.
- They can be used as guidelines for the disabled people. E.g. dogs
- They can be used to provide raw materials e.g. we get leather from animal
hides.

FUNCTIONS OF WILD ANIMALS

- they are used as source of tourists attraction

- they are used on sporting activities like circus

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 - they are used as tribal identification like totems
- they are used as a source of raw materials as we obtain skins and tasks
that can be used to manufacture goods from animals

THE CONCEPTS OF ANIMAL RIGHTS

The concepts animal rights refer to the idea that animals have rights separate
from human demands. As people we should respect and care for the animals.
They need to be treated with respect because they are living things.

RELATIONSHIP OF ANIMALS TO PEOPLE

- they are used for companionship by people, e.g. dogs

- Animals are used as totems to symbolize an identity for tribes. These
animals are respected by their tribes, they don’t kill or eat them
- animals are used in African stories as characters, to teach moral stories
- they are sometimes used for worship purposes to make a sacrifice

CRUELTY TO ANIMALS

a) VIVISECTION
Using animals for scientific or medical experiments. New medicines are tested
on animals before they are tried on humans. Illnesses are sometimes
deliberately induced on animals and scientists try medicines on them before
administering them on people.

b) PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPERIMENTS
Psychological experiments done in those animals that display similar behaviour
pattern of humans. e.g. apes and monkeys. They are ill-treated or denied certain
things to see their emotional/psychological effects.

C. BESTIALITY

This is where humans use animals to satisfy their sexual needs. It is a serious
abuse on animals because they cannot give consent to that.

D. VICIOUS BEATING

Beating animals in trying to make them run while carrying heavy loads usually
causes wounds on their bodies

E. CAPTIVITY

Placing animals in cages and denying them freedom of movement is a form of

abuse.

F. STARVATION

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Some people do not take care of their animals. Such animals are therefore
forced to fend for themselves especially dogs.

G. IN HUNTING SPORTS
Some animals may hunt animals for competition and they end up killing then
indiscriminately

WAYS OF PROTECTING ANIMALS FROM CRUELTY

- establishing laws that can protect animals against various forms of cruelty
to animals
- allowing captive animals to live in larger areas like private wildlife parks
- establishing alternative ways of developing drugs other than using animals
- people must adopt modern modes of transport other than using animals
like donkeys and horses
- establish organizations that will promote public campaigns on animal
rights, and speak strongly against all forms of animal abuse
- drawing up legislation that regulates the proper keeping of pet animals
- legislating against cruel methods of hunting and animal trapping

NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT REACT TO CRUELTY OF

ANIMALS

i) SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO

ANIMALS(SPCA)
- It provides public education, awareness, and enforcing laws related to
animals care and rights
-
1. KALAHARI CONSERVATION SOCIETY
- It helps campaigns against cruelty to animals by condemning poaching
and uncontrolled hunting. It raises public awareness and influences
government policy through the media seminars and conferences
- it helps in relocating animals to keep them in safe places

2. WORLD WIDE FUND FOR NATURE

- It safes endangered species
- It conserves the environment in which animals live
-
3. THE INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE
- It protects wildlife
- It reduces commercial exploitation and trade of wild animals
- It works to improve the welfare of domestic and wild animals

GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT REACT TO CRUELTY TO

ANIMALS

1. DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND NATIONAL PARKS

- Informs public about wildlife

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 - It monitors animal numbers and their well being
- It is responsible for management of game reserves and national parks

2. BOTSWANA DEFENCE FORCE ANTI POACHING UNIT

- It guards against poachers in some national parks e.g., they provide
security at chobe national park.

3. DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL HEALTH AND PRODUCTION

- It mostly controls animal diseases and provides treatment to animals when
they are sick.

THE ROLE OF INDIVIDUALS AND VARIOUS ORGANISATIONS IN

PROTECTING ANIMAL LIFE

INDIVIDUALS

- people should assist the government in enforcing the Laws on animals

protection and welfare
- people should campaign against cruel and degrading acts like bestiality,
and other forms of abuse
- people should resort to being vegetarians so that they reduce demand on
meat of animals
- initiate and support research to improve animal treatment
- ensure that their pets and working animals are well fed and are protected
from harsh weather conditions
- campaign against the use of animals in zoos and circuses

ORGANISATIONS

- They should influence anti poaching laws in the country

- Contribute in protecting endangered species against poaching. E.g.
keeping them in more safer places like the Khama rhino centuary

BIO ETHICS

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WORK ETHICS

HUMANKIND AND THE ENVIRONMENT

What is physical environment?

It is the surroundings in which we live, which includes natural and physical
features such as hills, vegetation, rivers and man made objects like buildings.

Importance of the physical environment

 It provides the necessities for human life like food from natural
vegetation.
 It is important for human survival, as it enables human beings to
cultivate land to grow food, and serve as natural pastures for livestock.
 It provides holy places to humankind E.g Mountains and forests can be
used as places of worship by people.
 it can provide people with raw materials that people can use to make
their shelter, e.g. sand from rivers.
 It provide water resource, as many villages in Botswana are supplied
with underground water
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  Wild animals, which form part of the physical environment, can serve
as an important aspect of national/international tourist attraction,
hence enabling the country to earn a lot of revenues.
 Some elements of the physical environment like rivers and animals can
serve as a national pride, since they are resourceful to the country.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

It means looking after the environment so that it retains its natural look for a
longer time, such that the future generations will be able to use it as well

MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF HUMANS AS CARETAKERS OF THE

ENVIRONMENT

 Human beings have a right to use the environment for their daily needs
though they have to be responsible such that they avoid all types of
pollution and over population

 They should avoid cutting down trees especially those that are scarce, so
that the environment retains its natural beauty

 They should ensure endangered species of animas are kept in a more safe,
secure and well guarded place to avoid extinction

 They should avoid desertification of agricultural land so that it remains

productive for them over a long period of time
.
 They should avoid substances that are not ozone friendly to avoid the
depletion of the ozone layer.

PEOPLE’S RIGHTS TO USE THE ENVIRONMENT

People have the right to the following from the environment

 adequate standard of living

 everyone has the right to develop themselves to their full potential by
using what is available in the natural environment
 countries have the right to economic and industrial development using
natural resources

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT IN BOTSWANA

There are a number of organization and individuals who take care of the
environment in Botswana. Some of these organizations include governmental
and non governmental organization.

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The Botswana government has established several departments, which are
responsible for environmental management.

 Department of wildlife; which is responsible for managing wildlife

through protecting animals against poachers, and controlling hunting.

 Department of crop production in the ministry of agriculture; it

educates people regarding effective ways of cultivation such that they
avoid soil erosion

 Department of animal production. Helps through educating the

community on common livestock diseases and how to control such
diseases. E.g. foot and mouth. It provides free and skilled personnel for
vaccinating the animals

 The Botswana government has established a national tree-planting day,

where people are educated on the importance of trees as they serve as
windbreakers around their homes.

 In every district, the councils have established waste management

departments, which collect waste in villages including toilet draining.

 In Botswana there are annual cleaning campaigns, which aim to educate

people about the importance of keeping the environment clean.

EFFECTS OF LARGE POPULATION ON THE ENVIRONMENT

An increased population results on the increased demand over available

resources on the environment. Some of the effects of large population on the
environment may include;

 Pollution; if the population increases, the rate at which it brings about

waste increases, hence become unmanageable and may lead to spread of
diseases.
 Increased poverty; the large number of people in an area may lead to
shortage of land to grow crops and keep animals which may lead them
into poverty
 Keeping large number of animals in a small area may lead to depletion
vegetation hence causing soil erosion and extinction of some plant
species.
 The large population of people may lead to high demand on natural
resources like vegetation that they use to construct shelter, hence
leading to extinction of certain type of plants that are mostly used
 Global warming: large population leads to many animals in a given
environment and even cutting firewood. This will lead too much
carbondioxide in the atmosphere, which would lead temperature
changes.

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 ENVIRONMENTAL MISMANAGEMENT

 Destroying the environment

 Using the environment unwisely
 Failing to protect the environment

EXAMPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL MISMANAGEMENT

 Pollution of rivers and seas- this reduces water quality since its
contaminated leading to various diseases to humans such as water-bone
diseases.
 Climate change- ozone being destroyed leading to cancer(Global warming)
 Deforestation and desertification this may leave the land bare thus being
vulnerable to erosion and global warming.
 Release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and green house gases, release of
carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere and destroy the
ozone molecules leading to the ozone layer being weak such that it cannot
effectively protect us from the sun’s violent rays.(ozone depletion)
 Littering- this involves dumping of waste products and this is not good to
peoples health and animals.
 Acid rain – This is rain water in which gases such as sulphur dioxide have
dissolved to make it acidic. This is caused by burning fossil fuels and
sulphur dioxide therefore may damage rivers, lakes, ground water, soil
and forests.

WAYS IN WHICH PEOPLE CAN REACT TO ENVIRONMENTAL

MISMANAGEMENT

 Re-duce, Re-use, Recycle litter

 Tree planting: Afforestation
 Conserve water- avoid pollution of water by litter
 Walk instead of drive: reduce pollution of air by car fumes
 Joining environmental organizations
 Share resources
 Protect endangered species: fight poaching
 Join clean up campaigns

IMPACT OF ORGANISATIONS THAT REACT TO ENVIRONMENTAL

MISMANAGEMENT

Green Peace
An international environmental organization founded in 1969. It promotes direct
non-violent action to try and prevent [project activities that they consider to be a
threat to the environment. They managed to reduce seal hunts, dumping toxic
waste in the sea.

Worldwide Fund For Nature

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It aims at protecting wild life and wild lands. It directs its conservation efforts
towards protecting endangered spaces, addressing global threats and saving
endangered species.

Friends of the earth

The largest international network of environmental groups. It campaigns on the
following: forests, ozone, desertification, climate change, sustainability, e.t.c

IMPACT OF ORGANISATIONS IN CONSERVING THE ENVIRONMENT

INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT

1. AGENDA 21

It stands for the agenda of the 21 st century. Brazil hosted the Rio summit in
1991. the summit was held as a result of global environmental worries. Agenda
21 is not a fixed law, so it needs to be adopted by each national government if it
is going to be effective, and those who are committed to the environment can
adopt it.

2. THE BIODIVERSITY CONVENTION

It aims to protect the wide variety of animal and plant life that exist on the
planet, before it is made extinct. In 1996, it was recognized that 25% of the
mammal species and 11% of the bird species were still at the risk of total
extinction.

3. THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL

It was formed in 1987 and an agreement was made to cut the use of chemicals
that damage the ozone layer. They agreed to reduce them by half by 1996 and to
stop using them altogether by the year 2000. Without this agreement, levels of
ozone depletion would have five times higher by 2050.
In the year 2000, the hole in the ozone layer above South America was causing
people to experience burnt skin within 7 minutes of being exposed to the sun.

4. THE REGIONAL SEAS PROGRAMME

It was developed by United Nations environment programmes for neighboring

countries to work hand in hand to prevent pollution in their common sea.
Agreements concerning other places e.g. Mediterranean sea, red sea were also
drawn up but some still experience pollution.

5. MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS

Large companies can have some impacts in the way people relate to the
environment. Companies may encourage people to consume items they really do
not need through advertising. Therefore, to control the power of the

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corporations the UN has drafted some guidelines for their conduct. One of the
recommendations is ; to observe the international standards and national laws
on consumer protection and environmental protection

NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE ASPECTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT

PROTECTION.

Negative
*Taxes
*Rising acts of goods e.g. petrol, paraffin..
*Restriction of freedom.
*areas not allowed to be developed.
*restrictions of using resources e.g. ivory.

Positive
*health of humankind
*clean, healthy environment
*sustainable development
*preservation of species that may lead to new medical treatment
*protection of biodiversity i.e. maintaining a wide variety of plants and animals
species

WAYS OF PROMOTING ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION

-.government should set aside land for game parts and nature reserves.
.-environmental education should be taught in schools.
.-companies should package their products in environmental friendly containers.
.-people should be made for those who mismanage the environment.
.-vision 2016 building a prosperous, productive and use water wisely preserve
natural resources for --the future generation.

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