DUE TO LACK OF FACILITIES, TOOLS: COPS DROP CHILD ABUSE CASES

MBABANE – What happens when an abused child reports her ordeal, only to be sent back to her abuser?

While law enforcement officers do not intentionally return children to abusive environments, this reality is unfolding due to logistical and resource constraints. According to the Children Protection and Welfare Act, an abused child should be placed in a safe shelter while investigations are ongoing. However, for many children, this protection remains unavailable. An investigation by Eswatini News has uncovered that many abuse cases grow cold and are quietly abandoned by authorities.

Harming

Often, children who initially report abuse cases are placed back into the care of the very people accused of harming them. Many of these survivors, once returned, are warned never to speak of the abuse again. Some even face violent threats, including death threats, after their abusers learn that they have gone to the authorities.

Speaking anonymously, social workers and police officers expressed concern over their limited ability to protect vulnerable children, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas, where child abuse is rampant. One of the primary challenges they cited was the lack of safe houses, which forces authorities to return survivors to dangerous homes.

Safe houses serve as temporary shelters, where children who have experienced abuse can stay while legal investigations take place. However, Eswatini has only two such facilities nationwide—nowhere near enough to accommodate all affected children. For the survivor’s safety reasons, the exact locations of these shelters cannot be disclosed.

Endangers

A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained: “We are forced to take children back to their abusers because there is simply nowhere else for them to go. This not only endangers the child, but also weakens investigations. Survivors often become too scared to speak out again, and in most cases, the case dies a natural death.”

Some cited instances of rape survivors who, despite ongoing investigations, were forced to remain in the same households or close proximity to their alleged perpetrators. However, officers claim that social workers often struggle to intervene due to logistical challenges, such as limited transport and an absence of child-friendly spaces, where statements can be taken without the intimidating atmosphere of a police station.

Traumatise

“Going to the police station can traumatise a child,” noted one social worker. Another officer added: “Social workers are supposed to assess the situation, provide counselling and help find safe homes for these children. However, they face the same issues we do—lack of resources. If Social Welfare does not intervene in a case, courts often refuse to proceed, leaving these children without justice.”

Without effective government support and adequate facilities, several cases stall indefinitely, while others are simply abandoned. Returning abused children to their homes often places them in greater danger, as perpetrators—who in many cases include parents, uncles, or guardians—have ample opportunity to silence them.

“When we send children back to live with their abusers, we put their lives at risk. By the time we return to investigate, the child is either too scared to speak or has been forced to change their story,” an officer explained. This intimidation significantly hampers legal proceedings. Without strong witness testimonies, courts are often forced to dismiss cases due to lack of evidence. This, in turn, allows perpetrators to evade justice.
While the issue is highly concerning in Eswatini, similar challenges are reported in various other countries.

Shortages

In South Africa, child welfare organisations have repeatedly highlighted the scarcity of safe houses, hindering the proper handling of abuse cases. Likewise, Zimbabwe and Lesotho face severe shortages of child-friendly shelters, leading to similar obstacles in protecting at-risk minors. Despite the existence of legal provisions intended to protect abused children, the lack of proper enforcement mechanisms, infrastructure and financial support continues to hinder the efforts of law enforcement agencies, it has been established.

Eswatini News can reveal that officers argue that until government prioritises investment in shelters, staffing and transport for social workers, systemic failures will persist—leaving vulnerable children without justice and at further risk of harm.

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