. Reduction witnessed from 2007 to 2022
BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE – The Violence Against Children Survey (VAC) Report shows that, from 2007 to 2022, there were notable reductions in all forms of violence against girls and young women in Eswatini.
The Deputy Prime Minister Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku launched the 2022 Violence Against Children Survey Report at the Hilton Garden Hotel, Mbabane yesterday. He was represented by the Under Secretary in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office (DPMO) Lomakhosi Dlamini.
The Deputy Prime Minister Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku has just launched the 2022 Violence Against Children Survey Report at the Hilton Garden Hotel, Mbabane. He was represented by the Under Secretary- DPMO Lomakhosi G Dlamini.
In the report it was revealed that, after undertaking the survey there were indications of a reduction in violence. This was ascertained by the surveyed people who, after being made to feel safe, confessed to have not been abused, this however does not mean there were no survivors that came forward,in the survey.
In the year 2007, Eswatini (then Swaziland) was the very first country to undertake the groundbreaking Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS). This unprecedented, inceptual survey was the first of its kind, globally, to collect national level data on the sexual, physical, and emotional violence against girls and young adult females between the ages of 13 and 24.
It was led by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, with support from UNICEF, the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and UNAIDS. Implemented by the Eswatini Central Statistics Office with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Since then, all future VACS worldwide have included boys’ experiences. In 2021, data collection was completed for Eswatini’s second VACS, this time including the experiences of both boys and girls.
In September 2023, Eswatini launched the VACS report, which presents the main indicators from Eswatini’s second VACS. The survey was led by the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office (DPMO) in partnership with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Central Statistical Office (CSO) and with technical support from ICAP at Columbia University and CDC and funding provided by PEPFAR.
In 2023, Eswatini launched its 2022 VACS report, which presents the main indicators from its second VACS.Partners include the Government: Deputy Prime Minister’s Office (DPMO) in partnership with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Social Welfare, and the Central Statistical Office (CSO). Bilateral and multilateral organization: ICAP at Columbia University, CDC, UNICEF, and PEPFAR
Being the first country to launch the Violence Against Children Survey has not gone unnoticed as the United States of America Ambassador Earl Miller gave it a thumbs-up.
Making his address during the launch of the survey, Miller said in the last 15 years that Violence Against Children Surveys have been conducted in countries across the world, it had been established that violence against children and youth is tragically common.
“In Eswatini, about one in every four females and one out of three males aged 13-24 years experienced some type of violence in childhood. As a parent and as a global citizen, these statistics startle me, and I hope they challenge all of us in ways that call us to accountability,” he said.
Miller said through the implementation of the Violence Against Children and Youth Survey, the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini had demonstrated commitment to generating reliable data to inform the nation’s violence prevention and response interventions.
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