On this page, you will find:
To find organisations working for LGBTQI+ rights, visit our Botswana LGBTQI+ Resources page.
For Botswana country of origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents visit our Botswana COI page.
Refugee protection
Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by Botswana.
The following sections contain information on the most important international treaties and agreements of which Botswana is a signatory, as well as national legislation relevant to the protection of refugees.
Botswana acceded to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol (hereinafter jointly referred to as the 195 Convention) in 1969. Botswana ratified the 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa (the 1969 OAU Convention) in 1995. Botswana succeeded to the 1954 Convention relating
to the Status of Stateless Persons (the 1954 Convention) in 1969 subject to certain reservations. However, Botswana is not a party to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (the 1961 Convention).
The Refugee (Recognition and Control) Act of 1968 (the Refugee Act) is Botswana’s main domestic legislation regulating asylum. All refugee and asylum matters are managed by the Ministry of Defence, Justice, and Security.
Legal aid organisations
Website
Address: Faculty of Social Sciences, Private Bag UB 00705, University of Botswana, Gaborone
Tel: (+267) 3552283
Fax: (+267) 3554185
Email: lawdept@mopipi.ub.bw or GALVIN@mopipi.ub.bw
The department of law at the University of Botswana runs a Legal Clinic in addition to teaching courses in the subject of refugee law. The services of the Legal Clinic are primarily available to members of the public who cannot afford private legal support. Some members of the Department are engaged in research on human rights and other related activities. The Legal Clinic has an advocacy component, along with the provision of legal services. Currently UNHCR provides funding for the University of Botswana Legal Clinic to provide legal aid for refugees.
For information about UNHCR’s operation in Botswana, please contact them through their Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Organisations providing other support to refugees
Website
Address: Plot 135, Independence Avenue, Main Mall
Gaborone
Tel: +267 3952465
Fax: +267 3912352
Email: brcs@info.bw
The Botswana Red Cross Society (BRCS) is a humanitarian organization and a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It works to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable individuals and communities in Botswana. The BRCS provides assistance and support in various areas, including disaster response, health promotion, community development, and humanitarian services. It plays a crucial role in responding to emergencies, providing relief to those affected by natural disasters, and promoting community resilience. The Botswana Red Cross Society works in collaboration with other organizations, government agencies, and volunteers to deliver humanitarian aid and support to those in need throughout the country.
Tel: (+267) 3906998
As an advocacy organisation, Ditshwanelo is involved in the promotion and protection of human rights in Botswana. In line with this role it seeks to work for human dignity and equality irrespective of an individual’s gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, social status or political conviction. The organisation seeks to educate, research, counsel and mediate on issues of human rights. Furthermore due to their commitment to the indivisible nature of human rights, the work extends to regional and international levels. It focuses on groups in the society that are most vulnerable and least supported by other organisations such as immigrants and refugees.
Ditshwanelo has also acted as a mediator between the Botswana Council for Refugees, the governmental agency charged with refugees, and the UNHCR. Ditshwanelo has expressed concern about the delays in processing of applications for status, the infiltration of refugee camps by security agents and the erosion of the principle of non-refoulement.
Website
Address: 17 Route des Morillons, 1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 717 9111
Botswana became an IOM member state in 2014. Key stakeholders in the South Africa region are migrant communities, national governments, United Nations (UN) agencies, regional organizations and institutions, including the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs), the research communities and donor agencies.
In addition, the beneficiaries of IOM’s programmatic interventions in Southern Africa include regional bodies, central and local government stakeholders, community leaders and members, the diaspora, NGOs and CSOs, as well as refugees, irregular migrants, internally displaced persons, returnees and trafficked persons.
More information on IOM’s activities in Botswana can be found on the website of IOM’s Regional Office for Southern Africa.
Botswana LGBTQI+ Resources
Find organisations working for refugee LGBTQI+ rights in Botswana.
Botswana COI
Find Botswana Country of Origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents.
We are always looking to expand the resources on our platform. If you know about relevant resources, or you are aware of organisations and/or individuals to include in our directories, please get in touch.
Last updated May 2023