BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE– For all the child protection indicators that World Vision Eswatini (WVE) focused on, Eswatini consistently scored relatively high on promulgating laws and policies meant to protect children.
This was revealed in the WVE report, where it mentioned that all efforts scored showed general political commitment by the government of Eswatini in protecting children’s rights.
It is worth noting that the second highest area of ranking is service provision. The government has put in place general measures for the provision of the rights.
This includes a number of laws and institutions such as the newly established National Children Services Department (NCSD). The lowest score by Eswatini is on capacity.
“A lot speaks to the lack of resources (financial, human, infrastructure) that are allocated to child protection. Whilst coverage may have a national character, the results here are showing that the quality of those services needs to be improved. Low capacity also speaks to resourcing of the institutions that deliver on child protection,” read the report.
It further indicates that Eswatini, as a lower middle-income country, needs to invest a lot more in children to make sure that inequality is not perpetuated. Deliberate public investment in children will enable all children of the country to enjoy their rights delivered to them with high quality standards. This was why Eswatini scored 0.394 which is an indication of the structural gap.
“World Vision notes with appreciation the significant progress Eswatini has made towards achieving global and national targets in key areas of child well-being. Children account for over half of the country’s population, yet their rights and needs are often seen as peripheral to development efforts.
“Despite the progress, some glaring challenges remain and require urgent attention. Poverty and child rights violations continue to threaten the lives of children daily and take away from the gains already made. 1 in 3 girls experience sexual violence by the time they are 18 years of age and children are most vulnerable to violence and abuse in their own homes,” reads the report in part.
It is said, this was why World Vision’s strategy in Eswatini, as guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Eswatini Growth and Development Strategy
(MGDS 3), aims at bringing measurable impact in the lives of 400 000 of the most vulnerable children in the hardest areas to reach.
The goal of World Vision’s Child Protection interventions is to work with partners to establish a child protection system that improves the prevention of and response to violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect of children, as well as the impact of HIV and AIDS. World Vision also supports the Eswatini government’s efforts to improve services for children affected by violence, neglect and exploitation.
