- More than four in 10 (43%) Emaswati say violence against women is “somewhat common” (24%) or “very common” (19%) in their community, while 54% believe violence against women is “not very common” (42%) or “not at all common” (12%) (Figure 1).
- More than eight in 10 citizens (82%) say the level of gender-based violence increased “a lot” (68%) or “somewhat” (14%) over the past year (Figure 2).
- Nine in 10 respondents (91%) say it is “never” justified for a man to use physical force to discipline his wife (Figure 3).
- Close to four in 10 Emaswati (36%) believe a woman is “somewhat likely” (21%) or “very likely” (15%) to be criticised, harassed, or shamed if she reports gender-based violence to the authorities, while 61% consider such a response unlikely (Figure 4). o Most citizens (82%) believe that the police are likely to take cases of GBV seriously (Figure 5).
- More than two-thirds (69%) of Emaswati say domestic violence should be treated as a criminal matter rather than as a private matter to be resolved within the family (Figure 6).
- Asked what they think is the main reason that many GBV cases are never reported to the police, respondents most frequently cite perpetrators’ threats against the victims (34%), fear of losing financial support from the perpetrator (21%), and fear of being stigmatised by society (19%) (Figure 7).
While a majority of Emaswati believe violence against women is not common in their community, most say the level of gender-based violence (GBV) increased over the past year.
A majority of citizens say it is never justified for men to use physical force to discipline their wives, and many say domestic violence is a criminal matter that requires the involvement of law enforcement authorities, rather than a personal affair that should be handled within the family.
Emaswati are divided on whether a woman will be criticised, harassed, or shamed if she reports GBV to the authorities, but most believe that the police take gender-based violence seriously.
Most citizens cite threats made against victims of GBV as the main reason people do not report cases to the police, followed by fear of losing financial support from the perpetrator and fear of being stigmatised.