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Swaziland Fulfills a Promise to Children: Mbabane, Swaziland – In response to the growing concern about the alarming rates of violence against children documented by a national study conducted by UNICEF and the US Centers for Disease Control in 2007, Swaziland established the nation’s first Sexual Offences Unit for children on 30th October 2008. The Unit, housed in the Magistrate Court, has a child-friendly interview room which is specially designed. In addition, the Unit has offices for five prosecutors, and a resource centre for the Unit staff. In the past, the prosecutors used stark rooms that offered no privacy when consulting with their young clients. Violence against children and women is a major public health in Swaziland, according the UNICEF/CDC study, the first of its kind since the release of the Secretary General’s report on violence on children in October 2006. One in three females between the ages of 13-24 years of age suffered from some form of sexual violence as a child; nearly 75% of the violence occurred at home, in friend’s home, and to and from school; and support services for the victims were unavailable. In addition, victims of violence suffered in silence for fear of abandonment or to protect the perpetrator who is often someone known to them. Swaziland’s Chief Justice, Mr. Richard Banda, said that he was proud to launch the new Unit. He stated that the opening of the Unit was a first step toward the development of a comprehensive care package for children and women impacted by violence and abuse. “This important Unit acknowledges our need to protect our women and children against sexual offences.” Said Chief Justice Banda. He added that Swaziland must go further and establish appropriate legislation to ensure the safety and protection of children. He also called for a “one-stop centre” that provides all the needed services to victims of violence and abuse. Despite the successful establishment of the Unit, Swaziland still has far to go to fulfill all the promises it has made to its children. The list of draft instruments awaiting government clearance includes the children’s policy, the Child Welfare Policy, and Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Bill. “Children are facing unprecedented crisis in Swaziland, largely due to the cumulative effects of the worst HIV epidemic in the world, poverty, recurrent droughts and fuel and food price hikes. Violence is another preventable burden on children.” Said Dr. Jama Gulaid, the UNICEF Representative. “Whatever the cause of the delays, we know that with each day that passes, children miss out on potential benefits and protection that such policies and legislation provide. Without legislation, Swaziland continues to draw unfavorable reviews from regional and global bodies concerned with the rights and welfare of children,” Gulaid reiterated.
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