Sidvokodvo – Gender-based violence (GBV) in Eswatini escalated, with close to 2000 cases reported to the police in five months.
At least 22 people died, including those in abusive relationships, and of these murder cases, women account for 16 cases while men account for six.
They form part of a total of 1,994 GBV-reported cases that happened between January and May this year, but the real worry is the unknown number of unreported incidents. It’s a 70% increase from last year’s 1,172 cases reported within the same period in the population of 1.2 million of Eswatini. 
Most GBV victims are women, children and persons with disabilities.
Eswatini’s police commissioner Vusi Masango told the gathering at the national GBV symposium in Sidvokodvo that the statistics reflect real lives lost and others violated.
Most of these cases, eight, were reported in the Hhohho region. Manzini and Lubombo recorded five each, while Shiselweni had four.
A total of seven children below the age of 16 were murdered this year. Three victims were between 18 and 24 years old. Six were between 25 and 59 years old. Another six victims were aged 60 years and above.
“Think about those victims. It means the future of our children has been ruined for the rest of their lives. These aren’t just statistics. It’s close friends and relatives’ tears of pain,” he said.
Masango said among the gathering there were survivors still trying to recover, while others had their dreams shattered.
“They (deceased) will never be replaced. As the police, we plead for tolerance. It was important to give this picture and to say that the country is in pain,” he said.
In the past five months, at least 481 women, including girls and boys, have been raped. Twenty of the instances include people with disabilities, some harmed by carers and others in their communities.
Children between the ages of 0 and 5 were sexually abused, accounting for 11 cases.
“All these cases have been reported. Suffice to say that in these numbers, there are most unreported cases because of fear. They threaten to stab and kill little children for speaking out,” Masango said.
In the fight against crime, the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Education and Training, and teachers have worked together to report the majority of instances involving minors.
“We are grateful to teachers and the ministry for reporting these cases to us,” Masango said, adding that they have arrested perpetrators of these crimes.
Some of the perpetr
