UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS

March 1, 2008

Children’s Dialogues Reveal Cases of Violence and Abuse

Sibongile Dlamini,* 15, kept the secret of her sexual abuse for five long years. If it weren’t for the Special Children’s Dialogues held in her community, she may never have shared her story and received the help and protection she needs.

Sibongile’s father began abusing her when she was only 10 years old. Despite threatening to kill her if she told anyone of his actions, Sibongile reported the abuse to her mother. Worried they would lose the support of the father’s sole income for the family, her mother warned her to keep it a family secret.

Sibongile continued to endure the abuse and remain silent; that is until Special Children’s Dialogues were held in 23 communities throughout the Timphisini constituency in Swaziland’s Northern Hhohho region. These same dialogues uncovered 12 other cases of child abuse. Eight were cases of emotional abuse and five were rape cases. In all, the dialogues held between November 2007 and January 2008, reached over 4,000 children.

Background
When I visited Timphisini last year, Community child protectors in the area, Shoulders to Cry On, reported a high number of cases of violence against children. I contacted the Community Development Officers from the Ministry of Regional Development and Youth Affairs (MRDYA) who then convened a small number of children who had complained that they had no forum to express themselves in a youth-friendly environment.

With support from UNICEF, MRDYA and other partners including the Ministry of Health and the police, discussions with children were held about HIV and AIDS, violence and abuse, sexual and reproductive health, and child rights and responsibilities.

Children’s Voices Heard
During the dialogues, I was surprised to see the children speaking freely about the barriers they encountered, ranging from peer pressure to take drugs or have sex, poverty, a lack of money for school fees, sexual or emotional abuse by relatives, and the challenges of orphanhood--- especially when children are left to head households.

The discussions became intense as children opened up and shared their stories of violence and abuse. In the end, 13 cases of abuse shared during the dialogues were reported to the police, some directly and some through the Shoulders to Cry On. The rape cases were reported by girls aged between 7 and 15. The perpetrators were either their own biological fathers or relatives such as uncles. Of the five cases, two arrests have already been made while the three other cases are still being investigated by the police.

Children Request More Help
During the dialogues, the children cited the lack of support systems available to them if they have been abused by their biological parents or relatives. The children also emphasized their lack of livelihood and skills training. As HIV and AIDS claims more and more parents’lives, children are left to fend for themselves yet they have no protection or skills to earn an income. Children requested livelihood skills training and additional dialogues, especially focused on HIV and AIDS.

Essential Skills Training
I am happy that after the dialogues, children in one Timphisini community have already begun an income generating project. They are producing Aloe Gava Vaseline to use as skin cream. They sell it for E10 (about $1.30) and are thus able to buy food.

UNICEF will continue its support of the children’s dialogues, as they bring out issues that make them vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. In 2008, UNICEF plans to support livelihood programmes for children. With more funds, a huge number of children can be reached! The livelihood skills are vital to the survival of children, giving them not only essential skills but also a sense of hope.

* Name has been changed.