Creating a circle of trust for a gender inclusive society in Swaziland

The next article will be on the topic: Child Marriage – a critical analysis of the legal framework prohibiting child marriage practice in Swaziland/Eswatini. The article explores how laws meant to prohibit child marriages -in fact, enable the child marriage practice in Eswatini, under both customary and statute laws.

One billion rising is a global mass call to action to end violence against women and on the 17 th February, the citizens of Swaziland answered that call. Men and women, young and old, poor and rich, employed and unemployed: gathered together in their numbers at Millennium Park to take a stand and have their voices heard. Neither the threat of a cyclone nor early morning torrential rains could dampen the spirit of the people and put a halt on the revolution. This day proved beyond a doubt the changing mindsets and growing acceptance of women as productive and contributing members of society. The march and subsequent dialogue were graced by the presence of a few thousand people which further proved to be a powerful narrative beyond being an undeniably effective demonstration of solidarity. The people of this country stood as one against a worldview which divides humanity into simplistic separate categories. The diverse group present on that day acted as a beacon of light, urging the ...

HOW ABOUT WE ALL UNLEARN To this day, the gains of education remain unmatched. Societies have recorded tremendous progress all thanks to education. I bet you, the world always has warm, open hands for someone who is willing to learn. To top it all, the process of learning is inevitable. Both the formal and informal spheres of our lives thrive on it. I am unapologetic about who I am and what I stand for. I greet strangers at the bus rank and ask them for directions because that is what I was taught- “ Bayavuselwa bantfu . Uyabuta nawungati .” As a proud Swazi, I have always been humbled by the wealth of knowledge my elders passed down to me. Their generosity and readiness to share information has always left me in awe. I remember growing up and watching my sisters cook while the boys were at the river where they had taken the cattle to drink. From the river, they would find their food ready. When they were done eating, my sisters would take their dishes and wash them. As soon...

Child protection in Swaziland: An analysis report 1.            Introduction The term child refers to a person below the age of 18. [1] Children are the greatest resource and the future of the country. However, social and economic indicators of household welfare reveal serious disparities in their access to social and economic services and also confirm fundamental inequalities to the support and care they receive. Thus, children are one of the most powerless sectors of the human community, hence their vulnerability to all forms of abuse. [2] As a result, there is a need for child protection and legal support of children. Child protection mainly focuses on “preventing and responding to violence, exploitation and abuse of children. [3] It includes commercial sexual exploitation, trafficking, child labour and harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation/cutting and child marriage. [4] Child protection comprises...