Editing Politics of Botswana (section)

== Human rights ==
{{Main|Human rights in Botswana}}

Freedom House considers Botswana to be free with a score of 72/100 in its 2022 [[Freedom in the World]] report. It scored high in political rights, though Freedom House expressed concerns regarding the representation of women and minorities and the lack of [[freedom of information laws]]. It also scored high in civil rights, though Freedom House expressed concerns regarding [[freedom of the press]] and the [[right to strike]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Botswana: Freedom in the World 2022 Country Report |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/botswana/freedom-world/2022 |access-date=2022-11-15 |website=Freedom House}}</ref> [[Transparency International]] has regularly recognised Botswana as the least corrupt country in Africa,<ref name=":9" /> and it is often described as comparable to the liberal democracies of Western Europe.{{Sfn|Hillbom|Bolt|2018|p=9}} One potential issues for human rights in Botswana is the lack of strong checks and balances in the government, which allows the president to exercise wide latitude over policy and arbitrarily curtail free speech.<ref name=":14" /> Early focus on [[public works]] projects after Botswana's independence rather than militarisation is credited for early legitimacy of the government, permitting stability in the nation's politics.<ref name=":12" />

Conceptions of human rights in Botswana are shaped by collectivist traditions such as [[Botho philosophy|''botho'' philosophy]] rather than individualist traditions. Confrontational approaches to human rights such as [[protest]], [[strike action]] and public condemnation are often seen as uncivil foreign inventions. Activism in Botswana instead focuses mainly on providing goods and services to those in need. Human rights [[Non-governmental organisation]]s are relatively uncommon in Botswana. Among the most active is the [[Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS]], which emphasises response to HIV but also addresses other areas such as the rights of women, children and LGBT people.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kenyon |first=Kristi Heather |date=2019-10-21 |title=Viewing international concepts through local eyes: activist understandings of human rights in Botswana and South Africa |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13642987.2019.1607276 |journal=The International Journal of Human Rights|volume=23 |issue=9 |pages=1395–1421 |doi=10.1080/13642987.2019.1607276 |issn=1364-2987 |s2cid=195543009 |hdl-access=free |hdl=2263/70846}}</ref>