STATEMENT BY THE RT HON PRIME MINISTER
DR B.S.S.DLAMINI
AT THE GLOBAL MEETING ON VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN
AT THE ROYAL SWAZI CONVENTION CENTRE, EZULWINI
WEDNESDAY 28 MAY 2014
Honourable Deputy Prime Minister
Honourable Ministers
United States Deputy Chief of Mission
Director, Together for Girls Secretariat
UNICEF Deputy Regional Director
United Nations Resident Coordinator
UNICEF Representative Swaziland
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is my great pleasure, on this important occasion, to extend a very warm welcome to all our visitors from outside Swaziland, and to add that we feel immensely privileged to be asked to host this, the first Global Meeting on Violence against Children. And, I might add, we are inspired by the presence of eminent experts and multi-sectoral teams representing as many as 15 countries.
But we are also immensely sad, of course, that there is such widespread violence against children across the world that national governments and multi-lateral agencies are having to launch substantial initiatives to counter this scourge. All decent human beings will acknowledge the basic human right of children to receive love, education and protection. The violation of that right is a humanitarian crime, and, where extensively practised, creates serious damage to a society.
The theme “From Research to Action: Advancing Prevention and Response to Violence against Children” challenges the world to move from just collecting evidence to taking practical action.
We recognize that the World Report on Violence against Children published by the UN Secretary-General in 2006 represented the first and most comprehensive global research project on all forms of violence against children. The report captured human rights, public health and child protection perspectives, providing a global baseline to respond to what was evidently an epidemic of violence against children. It became clear, furthermore, that effective responses to such violence would need to be placed in national and regional contexts.
That UN Report motivated Swaziland to carry out our first population-based survey to measure the magnitude, context and nature of sexual, physical and emotional violence against children. The findings were then reinforced by the National Study on Violence against Children and Young Women a year later in 2007 which focused on girls since violence, especially sexual violence, disproportionately affects girls.
The findings of the National Study identified numerous areas for intervention response, but it is the prevention of violence against children that is the key strategy to ensuring the protection, care and support of all children. With this in mind, Swaziland has put in place various prevention strategies, working closely with civil society organizations, key line Ministries such as Education, Health, Youth and the Police, as well as faith-based organizations, traditional structures and communities.
I take the opportunity to thank the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention for the technical support and provision of three epidemiologists during planning and execution of the National Study. And our appreciation also goes to all the partners, including UNICEF, for the technical and financial support.
As a country we are fully behind the global movement to end violence against children and we do appreciate the importance of sector collaboration. In our “Call for Action” launch last year we brought together various sectors and renewed Government’s promise to address all the issues related to such violence.
During the course of this conference we will be sharing with you what we have achieved as a country since our National Study was undertaken. We have promulgated legislation that focuses on child protection and welfare and are in the process of establishing a dedicated Children’s Unit to implement our new Children Policy. These are undoubtedly among the main contributors towards our moving up from position 45 to number 9 in the Child-Friendly Index prepared by the African Child Policy Forum. But, lest any listener takes the view that we are complacent or even smug about that ranking, let me hasten to add that we, in Swaziland, recognize that we have much to do in eradicating violence against children.
A great deal can be done to provide better protection to girls but there should be equal emphasis, perhaps even greater emphasis, on changing the attitude of boys and men since that is where the violence comes from. That of course relates primarily to sexual violence. But there is also a great deal of violence in the world perpetrated by women on children – a violence that very often stems from a misguided view on what properly represents good parenting.
With the United Nations and so many national governments behind this global movement there is a real chance of making a break for widespread improvement in the way children are treated. This Global Meeting represents a historic moment in that global movement. Let us all ensure that, from our discussions this week, we make “action speak louder than words” in our future programmes and advocacy initiatives. I am confident that this conference will be a valuable sharing and learning experience for all. Swaziland, as a country, looks forward to the recommendations that will improve our own protection and response interventions.
On behalf of His Majesty’s Government I thank you all for attending this highly important conference, and I convey our gratitude to UNICEF and the Together for Girls global partnership for sponsoring the event. I wish you all the most productive discussions and chrystallisation of an effective way forward in the form of the Roadmap.
Thank you.