At least 13 people died,
but the number has been disputed, with some reports
putting the figure at 65.
They died when they were
loaded up onto the back of a truck used for conveying building materials. The
truck was involved in a road collision on 28 August 2015. They were on their
way to the annual Reed Dance or Umhlanga where they were expected to be among
thousands of ‘virgins’ to dance half-naked in front of the King.
Femi Falana, a lawyer in
Nigeria, has reportedly sent a petition to the United Nations Special
Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment, Juan Ernesto Mendez; the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence
against Women, its Causes and Consequences, Dubravka Simonovic; and the UN
Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions,
Christof Heyns.
Punch, a
Nigerian-based news site, reported, ‘The lawyer said it was particularly
insensitive of the Swaziland monarch to have reportedly allowed the dance
festival to proceed despite the news of the victims’ death.
‘He said it was also
condemnable that rather than address the issues of rights violation, King
Mswati III had continued to cover it up by trying to prevent publication of
reports on the incidents.’
According to Punch, the petition read in part, ‘I
argue that the annual Umhlanga Reed Dance itself is unlawful as it has
continued to perpetuate forced marriages, entirely inconsistent with
international human rights standards.
‘I also argue that
religion, culture and tradition cannot be used to justify human rights
violations, including violence against women, which is what the annual Umhlanga
Reed Dance constitutes. The continuation of the Umhlanga Reed Dance also gives
rise to other human rights abuses, including forced marriages.
‘Under international
human rights law, states like Swaziland are to be held accountable if they fail
to act with due diligence to prevent violations of rights such as those
highlighted above or to investigate and punish acts of violence against women
and provide effective remedies and access to justice for victims and their
families.
‘By packing the girls
onto the back of open trucks, the government of Swaziland should have
reasonably foreseen that this would lead to violation of their rights to life
and human dignity.
‘In fact, due diligence
places a strict standard of conduct upon the government of Swaziland to protect
all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction, including
the girls and women.
‘I argue that the
government of Swaziland has the supreme duty to prevent acts such as those
highlighted above that can cause arbitrary loss of life such as the unnecessary
deaths of these girls.’
King Mswati came in for heavy criticism after the
crash because journalists were prevented from reporting the event. King Mswati rules
Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch and media are heavily
restricted in his kingdom.
There was a dispute over the number of deaths. The officially
sanctioned figure was 13, but prodemocracy groups in Swaziland said it was as
high as 65.
Punch,
the Nigerian website reporting on Falana’s petition to the UN, caused controversy in August 2015 when it incorrectly
reported that girls and young women in Swaziland were
forced to undergo public virginity tests before King Mswati III decided whether
to take them as his wife.
See also
DEAD
GIRLS ARE VICTIMS, NOT HEROES
DEAD
GIRLS TRANSPORTED LIKE CATTLE
‘COVER-UP
ON SWAZI REED DANCE DEATHS
‘CANCEL
REED DANCE AFTER DEATHS’
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