Nearly a half of all abuse
cases reported to the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office in Swaziland involved
children, And, most abusers were parents or someone well-known to the victim.
A total of 357 cases were
reported in the financial year 2016 / 2017.
A report tabled at the
Swazi Senate revealed 71 percent of the victims were females.
The most common abuse with
90 cases was described as ‘emotional / verbal’. There were also 76 cases of
physical abuse and 69 of neglect.
A total of 47 percent of
the cases involved children aged up to 11.
The Swazi Observer newspaper said that the report, ‘showed that
children were at a greater risk of being violated as the same individuals who
had an obligation to protect were the ones who were in most cases the
perpetrators.
‘The most commonly reported
survivor/perpetrator relationship was that of parent (mother/father).’
The abuse of children in
Swaziland is not new. Swazi culture condones sex abuse of
children, especially young girls. Child rapists often blame women for their
action.
The State
of the Swaziland Population report revealed that women who
‘sexually starve’ their husbands were blamed for the growing sexual abuse of
children.
Men who were interviewed during the making of the
report said they ‘salivate’ over children wearing skimpy clothes because their
wives refused them sexual intercourse.
In Swaziland rape is against the law but Swazi Law and
Custom allows
a husband to rape his wife. This is contained in the 317-page document The Indigenous Law and
Custom of the Kingdom of Swaziland (2013).
The United
States Department of State report on human rights in Swaziland
looking at 2016 stated, ‘The law criminalizes rape, but no law specifically
addresses spousal rape. Rape was common, and the government rarely enforced the
law effectively.
‘According to the Swaziland Action Group against Abuse
(SWAGAA), one in three girls and women between ages 13 and 24 had been a victim
of sexual violence. Although rape is legally defined as a crime, many men
regarded it as a minor offense.
‘The number of reported cases was likely far lower
than the actual number of cases, as many cases were dealt with at the family
level. A sense of shame and helplessness often inhibited women from reporting
such crimes, particularly when incest was involved.
‘The maximum sentence for conviction of rape is 15
years in prison, but the acquittal rate for rape was high, and sentences were
generally lenient. Prosecutors reported difficulty obtaining the evidence
required to try rape and domestic violence cases because witnesses feared
testifying against accused rapists. There were few social workers or other
intermediaries to work with victims and witnesses in order to obtain evidence.’
In 2015, a report
from A US organisation ABCNewspoint
stated that Swaziland had the fourth highest rate of rape in the world. It said
there were 77.5 registered cases of rape among 100,000 people.
See also
CUSTOM LAW LETS HUSBANDS RAPE WIVES
SWAZI
CHILD RAPE IS NOT UNUSUAL
‘INVESTIGATE
PRINCE FOR CHILD SEX’
http://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/investigate-prince-for-child-sex.html
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