BY ANDREW DLAMINI
MBABANE – Eswatini has committed to a comprehensive five-year subregional program aimed at combating violence against women and girls.
The commitment was announced during the program’s launch in South Africa yesterday.
Principal Secretary in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office Melusi Masuku, emphasized on Eswatini’s determination to develop the mechanisms for gender equality and women empowerment.
He highlighted government’s ongoing efforts to enhance national gender coordination, translating policy intentions into tangible programs.
Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia devised the five-year subregional plan after recognizing the alarming rise in violence against women and girls across these nations. The joint initiative aims to create a coordinated approach to combatting gender-based violence and creating safer environments for women and girls.
Meanwhile, Sonic Dlamini, Chief Executive Director of Kwakha Indvodza, an organization focused on youth development, stressed their commitment to raising public awareness about gender-based violence.
Dlamini said: “One of the key things that we do is to hold dialogues and try and really discuss how men can best play a role in protecting and ending the gender-based violence and also protecting and upholding the rights of women and girl”.
Challenges persist, as noted by Bongani Makama, the President of the Federation of Disabled in Swaziland (FODSWA).
He said: “Addressing such challenges to them it is a great achievement though we can tell that there are some other laws that are a challenge such as the criminal prosecution Evidence Act of 1938 which denies a testimonial for persons with a with a psychosocial disability”.
The United Nations has stated the severity of the issue in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. It has estimated 33 percent of women have experienced gender-based violence in their lifetime. The collaborative efforts of Eswatini and its neighbouring countries signify a vital stride towards creating safer communities for women and girls, with hopes that these initiatives will pave the way for lasting change in the fight against gender-based violence.
