Ditshwanelo (

Setswana Tswana, also known by its native name , and previously spelled Sechuana in English, is a Bantu language spoken in Southern Africa by about 8.2 million people. It belongs to the Bantu language family within the Sotho-Tswana branch of Zone ...

for "Rights"), or the Botswana Centre for Human Rights, is a human rights organisation founded in 1993 in

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

. It aims to improve human rights through education and governance. The group has campaigned against

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

and for

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

rights. For its advocacy it has received awards from the

Commission nationale consultative des droits de l'homme The (National Consultative Commission on Human Rights, CNCDH) is a French governmental organization created in 1947 by an from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to monitor the respect for human rights in the country. It may acts as counsellor f ...

and OutRight Action International.

Activities

Ditshwanelo was formed by

Alice Mogwe Alice Bahumi Mogwe (born 14 February 1961) is a Motswana activist and lawyer. She is the founder and director of the human rights organization Ditshwanelo. In 2019, she was elected to a three-year term as president of the International Federa ...

in 1993 as the Botswana Centre for Human Rights. The group has campaigned on different human rights issues and focuses upon education and governance questions. In addition, it offers free advice for civil judicial matters, supports the

San people The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are members of various Khoe, Tuu, or Kxʼa-speaking indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures that are the first cultures of Southern Africa, and whose territories span Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia, ...

in north Botswana and organises an annual human rights film festival in

Gaborone Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census. Gaboron ...

. It has also campaigned against

xenophobia Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...

, for example organising a one-day workshop in 2001 titled "Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Other Related Intolerances in Botswana". Ditshwanelo has long called for the repeal of the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

, arguing that the Constitution of Botswana should respect the human dignity of all Botswanans, including criminals, and providing a report to FIDH, the

International Federation for Human Rights The International Federation for Human Rights (french: Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme; FIDH) is a non-governmental federation for human rights organizations. Founded in 1922, FIDH is the third oldest international h ...

in 1998. The following year, it prevented a miscarriage of justice by staying the execution of two San men, Gwara Brown Motswetla and Tlhabologang Phetolo Maauwe. They had been controversially convicted of murder in 1995 and were eventually freed by the Court of Appeal in 2006, eleven years later. The group reminded the

Government of Botswana The Government of Botswana often abbreviated as GOB, is the union government created by the constitution of Botswana having the executive, parliament, and the judiciary. The Seat of the Government is located in Gaborone, Botswana. The governmen ...

in 2018 that 42 African countries had stopped executions and that Botswana was now the only country in the Southern African Development Community to have it. Mmika Michael Mpe was executed in 2020 for his participation in the robbery and murder of Reinette Vorster in 2014. In response, Ditshwanelo commented "We once again reiterate that the loss of all life is always deeply regrettable. We further urge our Government to seriously explore other forms of punishment for capital offences". Ditshwanelo has also focused on

LGBT rights in Botswana Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Botswana face legal issues not experienced by non-LGBT citizens. Both female and male same-sex sexual acts have been legal in Botswana since 11 June 2019 after a unanimous ruling by the ...

. It campaigned for the legalisation of homosexuality in 1995 and organised a roundtable event in 1998. In 2003, it unsuccessfully opposed plans to criminalise

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

sexual practices. LEGABIBO (Lesbians, Gays & Bisexuals of Botswana) formed as a network supported by Ditshwanelo and uses the Ditshwanelo offices. Ditshwanelo's patron is emeritus

Archbishop of Central Africa This is a list of the Archbishops of the Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa, which encompasses the present-day Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. List of Archbishops of Central Africa References {{reflist External linksLambeth ...

Walter Khotso Makhulu Walter Paul Khotso Makhulu (born Johannesburg 1935) is an emeritus South African-born Anglican archbishop of Central Africa. Makhulu was educated at St Peter's Theological College, Rosettenville and Selly Oak College, Birmingham.‘MAKHULU, M ...

. When critics questioned why the church was supporting a group promoting LGBT rights, Makhulu stated "Yes the Bible does say it is opposed o homosexuality But it was written in its own day and in its own time".

Awards

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (now OutRight Action International) presented its Felipa de Souza Award to Ditshwanelo in 2000, recognising its advocacy for same sex desire. The

awarded Ditshwanelo and then president Alice Mogwe a Human Rights Prize in 2012, celebrating its work in advocating for a people-centred development of the

Central Kalahari Game Reserve Central Kalahari Game Reserve is an extensive national park in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana. Established in 1961 it covers an area of (larger than the Netherlands, and almost 10% of Botswana's total land area), making it the second largest game ...

References

{{Authority control 1993 establishments in Botswana Human rights organisations based in Botswana LGBT political advocacy groups in Botswana Felipa de Souza Award Capital punishment in Botswana