It is our mission as the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office and as a nation to fight violence against children and youth in Eswatini. Sexual, emotional and physical violence against children has raised global and local concern. The gravity of these issues indicates the critical need to understand the magnitude and nature of violence against children in Eswatini, in order to develop effective prevention and response strategies. This 2022 VACS survey includes valuable information not only from adolescent girls and young women, but also from adolescent boys and young men and persons with disabilities. The inclusion of these different subpopulations is important because the data show that these groups experience violence differently and therefore require different types of responses.
As the second VACS in Eswatini, this 2022 Eswatini VACS is an important milestone for the country and provides an opportunity to assess progress since the first VACS in 2007. With data from both surveys, local and international stakeholders will now be able to make informed programmatic decisions around violence against children, and plan, implement, monitor and evaluate appropriate policies and programming on child protection. VACS data were collected to facilitate action; therefore, all stakeholders are encouraged to take action, including Ministries, communities and as individuals within our homes. We are encouraged to do what we can to institute policies, regulations, and guidelines that prevent violence and support care of those who have experienced it; do what we can to report violence and hold perpetrators accountable through our justice system; do what we can to eliminate stigmatization of those who have experienced violence.
We need more programs and initiatives to end violence against children in Eswatini. It is therefore essential that the experiences of children and youth represented in these data are translated into an action oriented multisectoral response which includes a strengthened legislative framework, prioritized policies, national plans, funding, and initiatives that help children and youth thrive in our society. With these new data, we know where the problems lie, and we must use this knowledge to inform better decisions for the protection of this and future generations of Emaswati.
On behalf of His Majesty’s Government, I therefore call upon all sectors, agencies, policy makers, partners, and relevant stakeholders to use the information in this document fully to improve the health and well-being of the people of the Kingdom of Eswatini.
We can and must do more for the next generation.
Honourable Themba Masuku
His Excellency, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Eswatin