Women Unlimited Eswatini Joins Regional Leaders in Pushing for Action on Violence Against Women
In August 2024, Women Unlimited Eswatini travelled to Salima, Malawi, to join a historic gathering: the Eastern & Southern Africa External Engagement & Influencing (EEI) Regional Convening on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). The meeting brought together civil society leaders, and development partners to rethink how the region confronts one of its most persistent crises.
Spotlight on Campus Sexual Harassment in Eswatini
The convening was a platform to spotlight our work in Higher Education Institutions in Eswatini under Litsemba Rising (Campus Sexual Harassment Prevention Intervention), where sexual harassment often goes unaddressed. Unlike traditional VAWG programs, the intervention, being implemented in partnership with Bantwana Initiative Eswatini, tackles violence in spaces where young women and men are most vulnerable. The Intervention is supported by the UK Aid Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through the What Works II Programme.
Our Eswatini team highlighted the unique contributing factors to sexual harassment including academic, social, and gender-based vulnerabilities, lax campus security and socio-economic pressures including poverty. University students often underestimate their vulnerability, overlooking risks like sexual assault that can emanate from various power dynamics.
Building Regional Solidarity
The convening also reinforced the power of regional solidarity. Other countries reported to be exploring the linkages between climate change and violence, while others are still grappling with deeply entrenched patriarchal norms including Eswatini. Despite different contexts, the shared experiences revealed that violence against women and girls knows no borders, and neither should solutions.
Out of the engagement we collectively developed a regional advocacy strategy leveraging SADC frameworks, pushing for domestication of VAWG policies, and ring-fencing budgets to ensure implementation. Women Unlimited is committed to ensuring Eswatini’s voice also shapes this agenda.
But the road is not without obstacles: political turnover, resistance from conservative voices, and lack of reliable data continue to slow progress. Still, the convening ended with optimism. One participant reminded the room;
“Even small steps matter. Every meeting secured, every survivor supported, every ally raised is a victory.”
For Women Unlimited, these small steps are building blocks toward something greater: a region where women and girls live free from violence.
0 Comments