SWAZI HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER TALK

This video is of a talk by Thulani Maseko, a human rights layer and pro-democracy activist from Swaziland, given to an audience at Canadian Crossroads International in Toronto about the current crisis in Swaziland.

Despite the introduction of a new constitution in 2005, Swazis who voice opposition to the current political structure are still harassed, arrested, and tortured.

Thulani Maseko, an expert in human rights and democracy in Swaziland, was arrested in 2009 for publicly discussing the democratic struggle in Swaziland. He has been an active member of the pro-democracy movement in Swaziland for almost two decades and has handled a number of human rights cases in Swaziland. He is currently completing a one-year Fellowship in Washington DC, US, as part of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program.

SWAZI ACTION GROUP AGAINST ABUSE

For those who missed the documentary-style video on the work of the Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) recently uploaded to YouTube, here it is.

It shows the work of SWAGAA as it works with women, children and men (mostly separately) to advocate against abuse.

SWAGAA was founded in 1990 and is one of the leaders in the fight against gender-based violence in Swaziland.

SWAGAA has worked for over a decade to bring the abuse of women and children into the public eye and to the attention of decision-makers, through advocacy, education, and media work.

In addition, SWAGAA provides counselling and other services to victims of abuse and has recently increased its involvement in programmes designed to prevent abuse, including an innovative project for engaging men.

SWAGAA has taken part in regional efforts to stem gender-based violence and hosted an international conference on preventing abuse in 2005. SWAGAA has been working in partnership with Canadian Crossroads International and the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia (THANS) since 2003.

The documentary was made by Canadian Crossroads International which is an international development organization that is reducing poverty, mitigating the impact of HIV and AIDS and increasing women’s rights around the world.

The video is in two parts.

SWAZI MEN AGAINST VIOLENCE

In Swaziland men are taking a stand against domestic violence.

This video, recently uploaded to YouTube looks at a program to involve men in the fight to stop violence against women in Swaziland, which emerged from a partnership between the Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA), the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia (THANS) and Canadian Crossroads International.