Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) was the first country to undertake the Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) in 2007. The first of its kind, the survey was led by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, with support from UNICEF, PEPFAR, and UNAIDS.
Implemented by the Swaziland Central Statistics Office with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the survey focused on sexual, physical, and emotional violence against girls and young adult females between the ages of 13 and 24. Since then, all future VACS included boys’ experiences.
In 2021, data collection was completed for Eswatini’s second VACS, this time including the experiences of both boys and girls. Conducting a second VACS in a country allows the opportunity to measure progress made since the first VACS and identify emerging trends in violence against children.
In December 2022, Eswatini launched its Priority Indicator Report (PIR), which presents the priority indicators from Eswatini’s second VACS. Eswatini will hold its Data to Action workshop and launch its full VACS report in 2023.
In 2021, data collection was completed for Eswatini’s second VACS, this time including the experiences of both boys and girls. On December 7, 2022, Eswatini launched its Priority Indicator Report (PIR), which presents the priority indicators from Eswatini’s second VACS.
Data collection for the second VACS in Eswatini
The Government of Eswatini hosted the first Violence Against Children Global Meeting: “From Research to Action: Advancing Prevention and Response to Violence Against Children”, where participants from 20 countries engaged with the VACS process met to discuss progress, research on what works to prevent and respond to violence, and next steps.
Passed the Children’s Protection and Welfare Bill and the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Bill in 2011.
VACS Repeating