24 312 GBV CASES REPORTED: EX-LOVERS, HUSBANDS CITED

MANZINI – Ex-lovers are among popular causes of reported gender- based violence (GBV) cases in the Manzini Region.

This is contained in the statistical information compiled after clients gave their testimonies as survivors of abuse to the Swatini Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA). The data from the past three years from the organisation shows that emotional abuse is the most reported type of abuse. According to the report, there were 24 312 cases of GBV reported from 2020 to 2023. They were recorded in a space of three years.

These cases were reported to SWAGAA. In terms of these numbers, an abuse case was reported in 22 days. The data shows that about 80 per cent of reported GBV cases came from the Manzini region. This year alone, in the month of January, SWAGAA received 217 clients reporting either emotional, physical, sexual, neglect or financial abuse.

In the Manzini region, there were 136 survivors who reported abuse-related cases, 36 in Hhohho, 27 in Lubombo, and 13 in Shiselweni regions and five others, which include outside Eswatini in January. SWAGAA is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that has been in existence for over 30 years working to end GBV, sexual abuse and human trafficking in the country.

In its website’s profile, it further says that it leads the cause of framing the ending GBV agenda, but involves partners and key stakeholders, some of whom provide the technical expertise on the best practices of violence prevention and response.

While many may hold the view that SWAGAA offices are located in Manzini, the most of these cases have been generated by the abuse toll free line, the SWAGAA 951 help line, which is managed by this organisation.
Other cases were from walk-in clients. SWAGAA has six sites from which some of these cases were obtained.
These sites are Manzini, Mbabane, Simunye, Hlatikhulu, Mankayane, and Pigg’s Peak.

It effectively means the organisation has a national footprint. SWAGAA Executive Director Nonhlanhla Dlamini said the counselling department provided post-abuse care services to the clients. There were 114 recorded cases of emotional abuse, 35 cases of neglect, 15 cases of physical abuse, 14 cases of financial abuse, 20 cases of sexual abuse and 48 cases of other forms of abuse.

Emotional

Emotional abuse recorded the highest number of cases this month; followed by other forms of abuse including neglect, sexual, physical and lastly financial. Dlamini said more than the clients reporting either sexual, physical, neglect, financial or emotional abuse, there were other issues including health, anger issues, depression, psychological distress or wayward behaviour. “This also includes survivors who received post-abuse care under Sabelo Sensha project.

“Note that the number of cases is higher than the number of clients because a client can report multiple types of abuse at the same time as we have 247 cases of abuse that happened to 217 survivors,” Dlamini said.The survivors of GBV, who were assisted by SWAGAA received psychosocial services. Of the number of reported cases in January, ex-husbands made 12 per cent of the perpetrators of abuse.

They were followed by ex-boyfriends with 11 per cent, ex-wives (six per cent) and ex-girlfriends with five per cent.  
Both male and female clients reported as survivors of GBV. The majority of the genders however were female with 149 cases filed while 68 males reported abuse in January. Furthermore, the clients reported only two places where these abuses took place, being at home and at open field. Home cases reported were 199 while seven cases occurred in the open field.

School which is also another place where cases are normally originating from, did not record a case in January.
The workplace, however, and other places not stated by the report also featured as sources of abuse.

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