Integrated Approaches to Gender-based Violence Prevention in Eswatini During COVID-19

The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI)-led Women and Girls Empowered (WAGE) consortium, funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Secretary’s Office of Global Women's Issues, is pleased to announce Phase II of its initiative in Eswatini titled “Integrating the Response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and Economic Marginalization of Swati Women” (WAGE Eswatini initiative). Led by  ABA-ROLI and supported by Grameen Foundation, the initiative’s goals are as follows: to strengthen the collective capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs), first responders, and lawyers to improve legal protections for women affected by or at risk of GBV and HIV; to promote effective GBV prevention strategies; and to support women’s economic participation. These issues are increasingly urgent given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in an increase in reports of GBV globally.

With support from three local partners, Kwakha Indvodza (KI), Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA), and Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), WAGE achieved considerable success during Phase I (2020 - 2021) of the project in Eswatini, despite significant challenges posed by COVID-19. Phase I prioritized support of local partners through training on harmful gender norms and the provision of small grants. For example, WAGE provided a small grant for KI’s #Me4U social media chats, which reached over 170,000 people over four seasons. The chats touched on issues ranging from the role of the arts in GBV prevention to broader dialogues of consent. During Phase I, WAGE also facilitated connections between gender-focused CSOs to better coordinate services offered to GBV survivors. 

Despite progress made during Phase I, the inaccessibility of legal aid in Eswatini remains a major barrier to improving legal outcomes for GBV survivors. WAGE will continue working on this issue during Phase II through its local partnerships to educate the CSO community and broader public about the importance of legal reform. Additionally, WAGE will continue its legal reform advocacy through a broad stakeholder coalition. In addition, WAGE will expand engagement with KI to produce follow-up episodes to the successful #Me4U series. New episodes will engage young men around positive notions of fatherhood. Finally, in order to provide more comprehensive care for GBV survivors, WAGE will work to establish a community of practice to promote better coordination among GBV-focused CSOs.

During the inception of Phase II (2021 - 2022), WAGE partnered with the UN Development Programme and held a seminar on legal aid principles and solutions for legal aid gaps in Eswatini. Representatives from the U.S. Embassy to Eswatini, the National Human Rights Commission, the Eswatini Law Society, and CSOs, as well as private lawyers and members of Parliament, attended the seminar. Strengthening stakeholders’ understanding of legal aid in Eswatini is foundational to building awareness and support for legal aid for GBV survivors who cannot afford legal representation.

Moving forward, Phase II will continue to build on lessons learned, networks built, and analyses conducted during Phase I. WAGE looks forward to building on the community dialogues and momentum of Phase I to advocate for better laws protecting Swati women, improved community awareness of harmful gender norms, and better care for GBV survivors.

*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Government.

Women and Girls Empowered (WAGE) is a global consortium to advance the status of women and girls, led by the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) in close partnership with the Center for International Private Enterprise, Grameen Foundation, and Search for Common Ground. WAGE works to strengthen the capacity of civil society and private sector organizations (CSOs) in target countries to improve the prevention of and response to gender-based violence (GBV); advance the women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda; and support women’s economic empowerment (WEE). In this context, WAGE provides direct assistance to women and girls, including information, resources, and services they need to succeed as active and equal participants in the global economy. WAGE also engages in collaborative research and learning to build a body of evidence on relevant promising practices in these thematic areas. To account for the deeply interconnected nature of women’s and girls’ experiences, WAGE’s initiatives employ approaches that are highly collaborative, integrated, and inclusive. WAGE is funded by the U.S. Department of State Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues.

The materials contained herein represent the opinions of the authors and editors and should not be construed to be those of either the American Bar Association unless adopted pursuant to the bylaws of the Association. Nothing contained herein is to be considered as the rendering of legal advice for specific cases, and readers are responsible for obtaining such advice from their own legal counsel. These materials and any forms and agreements herein are intended for educational and informational purposes only.