University of Eswatini Students Take the Lead in Redefining Safe Campuses

UNESWA Students Take the Lead in Redefining Safe Campuses

In September 2024, Women Unlimited Eswatini, Bantwana Initiative, and partners convened a week-long workshop to co-create job aids and content for the Campus Sexual Harassment Prevention Programme: Litsemba Rising.

A Multi-Stakeholder Approach

The workshop brought together students, lecturers, government officials, and civil society voices. At the workshop, the lived experiences of survivors were brought into conversation with research findings, policy frameworks, and prevailing cultural dynamics.

The discussions did not centre on questioning the existence of sexual harassment; its prevalence is indisputable. Rather, the critical focus was on identifying strategies to challenge deeply entrenched social norms and exploring practical ways to empower students to adopt and model alternative, positive behaviours.

Addressing Harmful Norms and Silences

The discussions were candid, at times challenging, yet essential. Students highlighted the harmful norms that characterize campus life, including practices such as sex-for-marks, transactional relationships, catcalling, peer coercion, cyberbullying, and the abuse of power by both student leaders and lecturers. Equally significant were the silences they identified such as the stigma associated with the so-called “walk of shame,” the unspoken acknowledgment of exploitation, and the pervasive fear of reporting violations when perpetrators occupy positions of authority.

Students at the Centre of Change

Rather than treating students as passive recipients of awareness campaigns, the workshop placed them at the heart of designing the solutions. Out of it came content framework that would be useful in developing Modules for delivering the Unlimited Interact Clubs: safe spaces where students can confront harmful behaviours, learn about rights, and practice skills like empathy, consent, and bystander intervention.

The role of “student champions” emerged strongly; young leaders who will mobilize peers, model positive behaviours, and act as first responders when violations occur.A key insight that also emerged was the recognition that prevention efforts must be communicated in ways that resonate with young people.

Platforms such as social media, including short-form content, relatable narratives, and campus radio, will play an equally important role alongside formal policies and institutional guidelines. Furthermore, it was emphasized that men must not be excluded from these initiatives, but rather actively engaged as partners and allies in the process of transforming social norms.