consensual same-sex relations that was designed to align with a 2019 court ruling, which affirmed the human rights of LGBTI people. GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE According to a report from research network Afrobarometer in January, gender-based violence remained a major concern in Botswana, with 50% of citizens saying it was common in their community. Over four in 10 respondents said that women reporting incidents of such violence against them were likely to face criticism, harassment or shaming. Also in January, sex workers said they were sexually assaulted, harassed and had money extorted from them by on-duty and uniformed police and military personnel. In December, the Botswana Police Service said it recorded 87 cases of rape and 42 cases of statutory rape over the Christmas holiday period. The Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (a pan-African NGO), made a complaint in August to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, regarding the government’s failure to investigate and bring an alleged male offender, also a well-known figure, to justice in connection with the repeated rape of a child between 2017 and 2020. DEATH PENALTY Botswana continued to use the death penalty. In May, Mmoloki Pholo was sentenced to death for the murder of Kemme Mercy Sebolao. BRAZIL Federative Republic of Brazil Brazil continued to have one of the highest levels of inequality in the world. Systemic racism persisted affecting the Black population’s social, economic, cultural, political, and civil rights. Women, especially Black women, still experienced barriers to access their rights. Covid-19 cases 104 remained high and excess deaths far exceeded expectations. Food insecurity remained extensive and one third of the population remained below the poverty line. Low attendance in schools persisted and violence in schools increased. Police violence remained deeply concerning, resulting in unlawful killings and other serious rights violations; impunity prevailed. Human rights defenders and activists remained at significant risk. Extreme weather events caused death, destruction of property and displacement. Indigenous Peoples were denied the full enjoyment of their rights and progress was slow in the demarcation of land. Gender-based violence remained alarmingly prevalent, with transgender people at significant risk. Abortion remained illegal, putting pregnant people at risk. BACKGROUND Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office as president in January, after winning elections in 2022 for the third time. On 8 January, 3,900 protesters contested the election results in the capital, Brasília. By December, 1,345 people had been charged and 30 people had been convicted of crimes including “violent abolition of the democratic rule of law” and “attempted coup d’état”. The Supreme Electoral Court barred former president Jair Bolsonaro from running for political office until 2030. Bolsonaro was being investigated for various crimes, including fraud schemes relating to Covid-19 vaccination records. By December, the National Ombudsperson of Human Rights’ Office had registered more than 3.4 million allegations of human rights violations in Brazil, including racism, physical and psychological violence and sexual harassment. This was an increase of 41% compared with the whole of 2022. ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS Social and economic rights continued to be violated, and racial and gender inequalities remained a key factor. Brazil had one of the The State of the World’s Human Rights