1. Children with disabilities: Left behind or forgotten? Empirical evidence from Botswana using multidimensional poverty measures
- Author:
- Khaufelo R. Lekobane and Thabile A. Samboma
- Publication Date:
- 10-2023
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis
- Abstract:
- The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognises of the importance multidimensional poverty and disability. Although there is compelling evidence suggesting that people with disabilities have a higher probability of being poor, studies that compare children with disabilities with their non-disabled peers remain scarce and limited to developed countries. Using the 2015/16 Botswana multi-topic household survey, we examined the link between childhood disability and multidimensional child poverty in Botswana. The study employs the conceptual framing of the capability and human rights-based approaches. Results reveal significant disparities in poverty levels between children with disabilities and their non-disabled peers across demographic, economic and geographical variables, with children living with disability experiencing higher poverty levels than their non-disabled counterparts. We, therefore, argue that deliberate efforts should be put in place for children with disabilities to have equal opportunities to catch up with the rest of the children in order not to be left behind. The paper further provides policy implications for childhood disability and multidimensional child poverty research in Botswana.
- Topic:
- Sustainable Development Goals, Child Poverty, and Disability
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Botswana