Botswana introduces UBC requirement

IN A move that has shocked
the industry, Botswana
has introduced similar
requirements to South
Africa’s for children travelling
into and out of the country.
Minors travelling through
Botswana’s borders are
required to produce certified
copies of unabridged birth
certificates in addition
to their valid passports
effective from October 1, the
Botswana government said
in a statement.
“We will not allow any
children under the age
of 18 to enter or leave
our country without the
documents we require
from parents,” director of
Immigration and Citizenship,
Mabuse Pule, told TNW.
According to Mabuse,
industry stakeholders in
the travel, tourism and
hospitality sector had been
consulted. He advised all
in the affected sector to
include the requirement in
their website and advertorial
packages so that parents
who travel to Botswana
with children do not suffer
inconvenience at ports of
entry.
In cases where one parent
is not travelling with the
child, the other parent’s
affidavit consenting to such
travel should be produced.
However, an affidavit will not
be required if the father’s
name does not appear on
the child’s birth certificate.
Sean Hough, ceo of
Pentravel says: “I am
shocked, not only by
the move, but by the
suddenness. I think any
reasonable person looking
at South Africa as a case
study would conclude that
this is probably not the best
way of handling the issue.
The truth is, it will have little
impact on South Africans
travelling to Botswana as
the UBC requirement when
leaving the country to travel
is now widely known and
accepted by South Africans.”
According to the official
statement, the development
aims to manage the
movement of children across
the country’s borders and
has the “ultimate goal of
tackling human trafficking
which is a global challenge”.
David Frost, Satsa ceo,
told TNW that he was
“gobsmacked” by the move
after it did damage to South
Africa’s tourism industry,
adding that Home Affairs
had still not provided the
industry with any evidence
as to how the requirement
of an unabridged birth
certificate tackled the issue
of child trafficking.