Towards Adoption of a Human Rights Based Framework for Social Protection in Botswana

Abstract

A clear gap in the debate on social protection in Botswana has been the lack of a thorough analysis on the human rights based framework. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the position of the government of Botswana regarding a right- based approach to social protection. The primary objective is to assess whether social protection regime in Botswana is backed by a legal framework. The paper starts by examining conceptual issues. Here we discuss the concept of social security and social protection. The next section examines international and regional instruments that have been formulated to protect the right to access social protection. Through this analysis, it will be clearly shown that although Botswana is officially committed to providing social safety nets to the poor and vulnerably, social protection is not yet entrenched in the legal framework. To arrive at this conclusion, a thorough analysis is made using the Human Rights-Based approach for social protection developed by the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council. In conclusion the paper provides recommendations on how Botswana can develop a sustainable human rights- based social protection framework.