SWAZILAND: Every third woman sexually abused as a child, says report

Photo: IRIN

An alarming number of girls in Swaziland have been abused

MBABANE, 9 April 2008 (IRIN) - One in three Swazi women has suffered some form of sexual abuse as a child; one in four experienced physical violence, a new United Nations survey revealed this week.

The study by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is the first of its kind conducted in a country where anecdotal evidence suggests an alarming number of female children are victims of abuse. More disconcertingly still, the mushrooming population of orphans and vulnerable children in Swaziland provide yet more opportunities for sexual exploitation to occur.

In two years, 200,000 Swazi children will have been orphaned by AIDS - more than one-fifth of the current population, according to UNICEF. With HIV prevalence at 33.4 percent among people aged between 15 and 49, the country has the world's highest infection rate. As a result, life expectancy has halved from nearly 60 years in the 1990s to just over 30 years today.

"Disabled children, children out of school and orphans are some of the most vulnerable groups," said Jama Gulaid, UNICEF representative in Swaziland. "Poverty and the high prevalence of HIV create high numbers of marginalised children."

The survey, the National Study on Violence Against Children and Young Women, based its findings on interviews among rural and urban communities. Disturbingly, it concluded that violence and sexual assault against girls primarily took place at home.

"We found that 75 percent of the perpetrators of sexual violence were known to the victim," Gulaid said.

"It is not surprising that sexual abuse of girls is a household problem, because Swazis reside in multi-generational homes, usually isolated farms," said a researcher with the non-governmental organisation, Women in Law in Southern Africa's Swaziland chapter. "Relatively few girls are raped by strangers in towns because less of the population resides in towns, and there is a heightened awareness of security there".

Rapists don't use condoms

Often the abusers are the girls' own fathers and boyfriends. Only 43.5 percent of girls said their first sexual experiences were freely willed and devoid of coercion: a little less than five percent said they had been introduced to sex as rape victims.

We found that 75 percent of the perpetrators of sexual violence were known to the victim

Underscoring the urgency of addressing violence against girls was the AIDS crisis.

"Rapists don't use condoms, and if a father or uncle are so inclined to rape a daughter or niece, or a boyfriend forces himself on his girlfriend, the danger of HIV transmission is rife," said Victor Ndlovu, a voluntary testing and counseling officer in the central commercial town of Manzini. "Add to that the reluctance of girls to report abuse or in many instances to rightly understand they have been violated, we are faced with a serious public health challenge, aside from the individual suffering incurred by the girls."

A third of Swazi females interviewed for the study reported they had experienced emotional abuse. Often, the perpetrators had been abused themselves as children.

"The established 'hand me down' passing on of abuse is evident from what we were told," said Pamela Dlamini, a sociology student at the University of Swaziland, who was one of the survey interviewers. "Emotional abuse of girls is mostly carried out by the girls' female relatives, who were abused themselves. Sometimes there is jealousy. Instead of reporting an abusive husband or unable to police [the girl], the girl's mother or aunt will treat the girl as a rival. This comes from a culture where any post-pubescent girl is considered eligible for marriage in a polygamous household, even if she is 13, although Swazi culture does not allow for the incest we find rampant in households where abuse occurs."

Although officially a middle-income country, the UN Development Programme estimates more than two-thirds of Swazis live in chronic poverty, about the same number - over 600,000 - currently depend on food assistance from the World Food Programme and other donor groups.

The report noted that "Violence can damage the emotional, cognitive and physical development of children and thereby impact economic development of Swaziland by degrading the contribution of affected children".

The way forward

Less than half of sexual assaults and other abusive crimes are reported to the authorities. Swazi children were found to have sought help from the police or social welfare counselors in only one out of five cases that resulted in injury serious enough to consult a doctor.

The way forward appears to be through education, instructing girls about what constitutes abuse. "I spoke with many girls who said they did not understand that they had been abused. They felt abused, physically and psychologically, but no one told them this was not normal," said Dlamini.

The report backed Dlamini's observation, noting, "The numbers suggest a lack of understanding of what sexual violence is and how and where to report such incidents".

Educational programmes in schools would assist in a country where primary school attendance is relatively widespread, and instruct girls on the type of behaviour acceptable when they return home.

"The large numbers of sexual violence incidents happening in the home underscores the hidden nature of sexual violence and presents one of the largest challenges in preventing sexual violence in Swaziland," the report said.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=77685

Dear Scott,

Since the 8.0 earthquake in Peru on August 15th of last year, God has sovereignly been putting the pieces in place for a collaboration between the national government here and the Evangelical church that has the potential to tremendously bless the entire country as well as the victims of the earthquake.

In researching various building materials following the earthquake, we identified a product that not only has the best earthquake resistance characteristics of any product on the market, we learned that it offers many other advantages as well.  To simply put things, it is superior in every respect when compared to the traditional method of construction in Peru and Latin America (buildings with brick walls supported by steel-reinforced columns, covered with a stucco of cement), but it is also considerably quicker and cheaper to construct.

We have formed a partnership with the company that manufactures this product in Texas.  The company (Volcan Wall) will build and operate a manufacturing facility in Lima, and a company we have formed (via a large local church) will sell and build homes made of this product.  Fifty percent of the profits from this venture will be given back to the church for ministry purposes, especially to help offset the costs of rebuilding homes in the earthquake zone.

But this partnership and business enterprise is in the future. Right now, there is an opportunity for the evangelical church in Peru to collaborate with the Congress of Peru in building 23 homes for families whose homes were totally destroyed in the worst-hit of the three major cities incurring substantial damage from the quake--Pisco.

The government has asked us to partner with them using this material "SHIPs" (Steel-reinforced, Hand finished, Insulated Panels) to build these 23 homes in an outlying area of Pisco.  They will pay for the materials and the site preparation.  They are also exempting the materials from taxes and will provide transportation from the port in Lima to the construction site.

Representing the spiritual side of this partnership is one of Peru's largest evangelical churches, Camino de Vida (Way of Life).  Camino de Vida wants to contribute the labor for this project as well as a gift of wood for doors and windows.  The manufacturing company will be providing the training and on site supervision as well as providing the panels and shipping significantly below their cost.  They also are providing design and architectural services.

Here's where my request comes in.  I would like to recruit a crew of 15 construction-savvy workers from the U.S.  The project is scheduled to begin on June 9th.  These should be physically fit, motivated, efficient team workers.  If they have cement experience, so much the better.  We would like them to come for at least a week.  If they could come for 10 to 14 days that would be even better.  They would be responsible for their transportation to and from Peru.  We would take care of them once they were here.  We will provide transportation, housing and food.

Our goal is to assemble five work crews made up of three U.S. workers and two to three Peruvian workers.  There are some time deadlines and we will work hard and fast for the entire time.  We are hoping to successfully errect ten or more homes in that time.  One of the advantages of this material is that it can be put up amazingly fast as compared to traditional construction.

I would greatly appreciate your getting the word out toward the goal of assembling these five teams.  I'll keep you apprised and would appreciate your doing the same.

For His Glory

Bob Cooley

HIV is a virus that causes AIDS. AIDS is a dangerous disease that can affect everyone. This disease is a fatal disease but can be controlled.

AIDS affects black people and white people. It affects poor or rich people, fat or thin people. It affects you whether you are a Christian, Swazi, Zulu, Xhosas, Hindus, Rastafarians, Muslim, Mozambican, Sothos or Tswana.

AIDS affects me as well my auntie, who was working in Matsapha Spinex Factory. She was a likeable woman and honest. She use to help poor children in the community by paying their school fees, buying food and clothes for them. Everyone in the community used to respect her.

She was the person who was looking after my grandfather and my grandmother the most. My father looked after my grandfather and grandmother but not as much as my auntie. My uncle did look after them but not all the time, like my auntie use to. She was the most important person to my grandparents.

She used to have more than one boyfriend and she did not use to use a condom when she was having sex with her boyfriends. On nights she used to leave home with her boyfriends to big hotels which are too expensive. On weekends she used to visit one of her boyfriends.

One day she became sick and just got sicker and sicker. She did not know what was making her to be sick. She visited the clinic many times but she became sicker and sicker. Than my grandparents sent her to a traditional doctor. He gave her some medicine and said she must find a boy who will cut her with a razor blade and put the medicine in her. They chose me as the boy. I did it but I did not like it. She became better for a week but then her sickness returned and I became sick as well. She and I visited the health center for check- up. We found that we were both HIV positive. They counseled us and they gave us some tablets and I take them even today.

When I heard that I was positive, I was afraid. I was thinking that I was going to die, I cried and cried. But they told me that I would not die. After that my auntie became sick and got sicker again and she died. But me I am healthy and I am alive and life goes on.

So AIDS kills. It kills our parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, sisters and brothers. But life still goes on.

Again my response is silence before the God of the universe - how can I relate to the pain in this young boys life?  He is a statistic who most likely will be among the 4 in 5 who die before the age of 30 in Swaziland.  He is a statistic but his name is Bonginkosi.

Community Life: training & apprenticeship for Christ-followers

One year of growth, community, and ministry.

We're excited to introduce a new opportunity that many of you will love.  We're taking our best coaches and disciplers and matching them up for a year with our most passionate young people (up to age 31). At Adventures In Missions (AIM), we love the next generation. We want to see people launched into a whole new way of doing life. In a culture that esteems independence, we want to restore the value of interdependence that was so prevalent in the Early Church. By living in authentic community, disciples of Jesus learn how to be "salt" and "light" in a way that transforms the world around them. It's a year of training and apprenticeship in community.

Community Life is a place where you can continue to grow in your identity and role in the kingdom of God. The people of AIM will pour into you during this year in a number of ways. Our leaders will train you and hang out with you. We'll help you sharpen your life focus and call to ministry and even help you develop your skill sets. We provide housing in Gainesville, GA, where a select group of 30 young people will live together in several houses in a neighborhood with easy access to the surrounding community. There are five major aspects involved in Community Life: 

·         Mentoring: As part of creating a personal development plan, you will be paired up with a leader at AIM that will regularly meet one-on-one with you and provide coaching, encouragement, and discipleship. Seth Barnes and Scott Borg will guide a team of top leaders as we return to discipleship as Jesus practiced it.  This includes intensive teaching to help you understand your past, who you are in Christ, and how to move forward in the plan God has for your life and ministry. You will work on your own, in small group settings, and with some of the most experienced and inspirational mentors AIM has to offer.

·         Skill development: You will expand your life skills. Many of you will have an internship in the office in an area such as recruiting, marketing, creative writing/editing, media, missions mobilization, web design, or program development.  Your internship will be tailored to develop your passion.  It's an opportunity to develop valuable work skills through hands-on training.

·         Ministry: In order to stay connected with ministry, we've partnered with a local outreach to the 60,000 marginalized Hispanics in and around Gainesville. It is important to us that you continue to be exposed to the poor and have the opportunity to engage in hands-on ministry.  We'll also partner with a camping and sports ministry.

·         Travel: To continue engaging in different cultures and learning about God's heart for the nations, we'll provide you with opportunities for travel to put into practice what you have learned.  In addition there may be a summer opportunity to lead various discipleship programs for high school and college students around the world. You will be able to call others to a life of sacrifice and to fulfilling the Great Commission.  In the future, we'll plant new leadership training bases in places like Spain and Africa with our colleagues Andrew Shearman and Gary Black and partner with them in developing those training centers.

·         Sample apprenticeships: Recruiting Team, Marketing Team, Multimedia ministry, discipleship ministry coordination, short-term mission project coordination, and many others. You will have the opportunity to use your gifts in mobilizing people for God's kingdom.

For more information: click here

To apply, click here to fill out a Quick App. 

 
If you are an AIM alumni, please call 1-800-881-2461 ext. 270 or email SerenaLivingston@adventures.org

It's been a while since I've written in my blog. Honestly since Christmas it's been hard to know what to say. Lately I've been following the stories being written by some of our teams in Swaziland about a baby named Moses. You can read more about the sad story here and here.

One of the great things happening in our family is that Josiah is getting married to Meredith the end of May. Also, Sam and Jill as well as Anna and Elliot are giving us grand children numbers 1 (due in July) and 2 (due in September).

It's hard to describe the feeling I had when Sam called me to tell me their baby is a boy. A sense of completion came over me. Like some kind of release from all the striving to make a difference in the world. The knowledge that in some way a part of me will continue on when I am gone is somehow giving me a sense of resolution in my life.

This week Anna came up for a few days of her spring break. Seeing her in our house, with a baby inside her, with all her baby clothes Marcia had saved is another one of those feelings of life's great moments. The passing of time resulting in beautiful repetitions of life.

Honestly it's hard to reconcile the dissonance of the tragic life of baby Moses in Swaziland with the blessed life I am experiencing with my family. Moses never got much of a chance to survive. His own mother will probably be dead soon too. Recent census results reveal that in the last 10 years or so Swaziland has lost population. If normal population growth had happened (if there was no HIV/AIDS) there would be 300,000 more people in Swaziland today.

So you can see the stories of Moses and his mother are but two of many many tragic stories. When I try to go deep inside myself and process all this I encounter a profound silence. I don't know what to say or even what to pray.

I am rejoicing in the blessings of the Lord on my family. I am silenced by the tragedy in the life of Moses.

I've been home from Africa for almost 2 weeks.  I was there for about 9 days involved in a leadership conference we were holding for our Africa First Year Missionary's (FYM).  We were in Jeffrey's Bay - a beautiful sea-side town where one of our FYM teams minister year ‘round.  I'd like to tell you about one story that happened while I was there.

 A group of the staff were having a going away meal for those of us leaving the next day.  The cell phone rang and it was one of the FYM's who were part of the training.  Her name is Michelle and she had come across a street boy who was inebriated and cold - sitting in the grass along the street.  She didn't know what to do for him since he was unable to walk and was crying.  I had seen these kids wandering around town over the few days I was there - hard life kids who lived a life somewhere between being dangerous thieves and innocent children. 

 I was leaving the gathering headed to a meeting and I happened across Michelle and the boy.  There they were - crying together while sitting along the road.  I was as lost as Michelle as to what to do.  I called our full time staff member Chris Via to ask him if there was someplace we could take the boy - who appeared to be around 12.  This is where the story gets interesting.

 Chris was standing next to Matt - one of our Jeffrey's Bay FYM's.  Matt has a ministry to the street boys in town.  Matt wanted to know the boys name and have me ask him if he knew Matt.  I asked for his name and he told me Patrick.  I asked if he knew Matt and he brightened up.  Matt said he knew Patrick and would be right there.

 Before Matt arrived we did what we could - as it was getting cold and dark, we gave Patrick a warm coat to wear.  We asked him his story - and he was able to tell us his other had died and he did not want to live any more.  His "friends" had robbed him and he had been drinking and probably sniffing glue to get away from everything.

 Once Matt arrived he knelt down beside Patrick and talked with him.  He told Patrick he would be his friend and he would not leave him.  He gave him his own coat.  At one point Patrick reached out and took Matt in his arms in a strong embrace.  Matt returned the hug and there they were - sitting in the grass and holding each other for some time.  Matt was able to stay with Patrick for a few hours to help him sober up and make sure he was able to get back to his cardboard house behind the department store.  Patrick is 16 years old and Matt is a college kid waking up to his destiny in life.

 When I stood there watching this embrace I could not help but think of Jesus and what he would have done with a drunk, smelly, homeless street kid who was hurting with some of life's deepest wounds.  He would come along, stay He would not leave, and hold him in his arms with everlasting love. 

 It was cool to see Matt be the literal arms of Jesus to Patrick.  For those readers who partner with us in this ministry, thanks for making it all possible.  And for those of you around hurting people, take a lesson from Matt and be Jesus to someone today.

Next I went to Baltimore to retrieve a school bus AIM bought for our base in Mexico.  I was only able to commit to driving it back to Gainesville rather than all the way to Mexico, but it was a long ride at 57 mph none the less.  I drove through the Shenandoah Valley at peak leaf season and the sunset that night as I drove was breathtaking.

 After that I went to Colorado Springs to spend 2 days with a great friend Steve Forister.  Hiking together at 10,000 feet was a beautiful experience.  We were able to process some deep subjects in our lives as well as some really good pizza at Chicago's Best in Estes Park.

 Now I am about to embark on another trip to Africa.  This time I will not be able to get to Swaziland, but will be spending about 9 days in South Africa with a leadership conference we are holding with about 50 of our First Year Missionaries.

 This weekend we've been home together with all our children and their spouses.  What a blessing to be able to enjoy relaxed time together.  Today everyone is heading off to their homes to reengage with the lives they live there.  I am really so proud of each of them and feel so blessed to see them grown up and pursing the best things life has for them.

I am sitting here trying to figure out what all to tell you after a month on the ground.  

• I could tell you about the day Marcia and I went to speak at an AIDS support group - six or 8 brave people who meet under a tree every other week to encourage each other in their struggle.  
• Then there was the day Marcia went with a medical team that was here to the hospital - and walked in a room as the 1 year old baby of a very young single mother died of accidental (albeit suspicious) poisoning.   Since then the girl has come to church with us and wants to come back again.  
• The men's meeting where I taught on how to plan your life to reach your dreams (ironic that my life has seen little planning but I have attained some dreams).  
• The van that rolled on its side with 8 teenage American girls in it, the fact none of them were seriously injured, that we were up with them until the middle of the night being checked out at the clinic and calling their parents, and watching them laugh their way through most all of the accident that could have been so much worse.
• The month of June had close to 200 Americans coming through Swaziland for anywhere from 2 weeks to the entire month.   Lots of coordinating, relating, planning, logistics, meetings, conflict resolution, and ministry happening and Marcia and I were in the thick of it all.   Embrace the chaos!
• Josiah has safely been to Zimbabwe and back on an adventure that turned out very different than he had planned.  
• Gardens planted, a kitchen built, gogo appreciations, medical clinics, pastor training seminars.  

It's been a full month and a lot more to tell and it would take a lot of updates to explain all this.   Between the bullet points there is a lot of laughter and sorry and deep contemplation.   There are still the imponderables and the unanswerable questions of why (Lord) and how (Lord) and when (Lord).   What we do here is a drop in the bucket, but somehow in that drop is more life than a bucket of drops in Georgia.   There is no bigger paycheck than the one that comes when you make a difference, however small, in the world around you.  

We want to tell you a little about where we are living.   We live on what is known as a rural homestead.   Usually, an extended family will live on a homestead made up of between 5 and 20 acres.   Historically, the homestead was the center of Swazi society.   Subsistence farming and extended family living were central to the worship of ancestors and governance from the local Chief who reports to the King.

Our homestead would be considered a more modern one.   The Khumalo's are strong church members and have a very committed Christian home.   The father, Steven, is actually from the city of Manzini close by.   He told me that we moved his family out in the country to have a slower, more safe life.   They have I think 3 kids of their own, but they have taken in two more orphans.   Their house is modern with electricity, running water, plumbing, and even hot water.   As you can see they have a garage and they do own one car.   Mr. Khumalo works at MacMillian Publishing, which prints educational books for the schools here in Swaziland.   The mother also works in town in an office but I am unsure where that is.   The kids are all teen aged and all but one in school.

            One of the things that I like about our homestead is the rural feel.   Mr. Khumalo is an industrious planner and thinker and is developing his property here well.   Pictured is our house (with Josiah in front of it) and another house on the property where one of our staff members, Dennis Brock, lives (Dennis and Josiah are in that picture).   These houses were built I think for the Khumalo kids when they get married, but in the mean time Dennis and another AIM staff person Katy (we are staying in Katy's house while she is in Kenya leading an AIM trip for the summer) rent the houses at a reasonable rate.   I'll show you pictures of the inside of our house in another update.

            I took a picture of Hlangiwe who is one of the kids the family has taken in.   He doesn't do as well in school, so he is being trained to take care of all the projects here.   Mr. Khumalo plans to put Hlangiwe in a vocational school where he can learn a trade but for now he is learning a lot right here at home.

            Along with the houses, there is an organic garden.   This smaller garden is an experiment to see how best to grow the organic vegetables most healthy for those infected with HIV/AIDS.   I have never seen such huge and healthy big leafy vegetables - we have gotten a couple of very large heads of lettuce and a nice bunch of broccoli.    Now that he has it down, Mr. Khumalo will grow the same vegetables in a large field/garden also on the property.   The government has told him they will buy all the organics he can grow to feed the Swazi army.

            Additionally, there is a newly build "piggery."   This pig raising facility is part of a government program to address poverty.   It has to be build to strict specifications which the government has developed.   Once built and inspected, the agriculture people will bring 6 pregnant sows.   Once these sows give birth, the government takes the sows away and the pig raising begins.   The government will also buy the market hogs once they are raised.   Mr. Khumalo will be raising 60 pigs at any given time.

            And of course there are chickens - but they are more for eggs and the occasional meal.   So, between the garden, the chickens, and the pigs - you can see why I like it here a lot.   I like to feed our scraps to the chickens - and I think they like it too.

            We have here 3 dogs.   I have named one Buddy (he's in the picture with Josiah), another Momma (she's expecting) and the other has no name.   They are supposed to be watch dogs but I am afraid they aren't any better than our Carter at home in this - they bark more at cows passing through than anything else.   They do a nice job of greeting us in the evenings and make us feel at home.

            We rarely see our homestead family.   They get up at 5, leave for the day before 6, and are in bed by 8.   Marcia and I are keeping a different schedule as we work out in the community during the day and usually don't return home until much later in the evening.

            Our schedule is slowing down a little but next week Marcia will be involved 8-5 in a clinic outreach in areas around Manzini.   Another doctor from the states is coming along with other medical staff and they expect to see 400 patients a day!   I am sure there is more update to come on that front some time next week.

            We hope all is well with whoever reads this - and don't be shy to write.   It's always nice to hear from home.

We are healthy and safe here in Swaziland.   This past week has been great but busy!   We had a group here from Colorado Springs Vanguard Church.   36 people - mostly adults - who came to build a kitchen, run a medical clinic, teach the volunteer Swazi teachers, and hold a VBS.   The week went fast but it really did go well.   The group was great to work with and they did a great job at their ministries!

Marcia worked all week with a doctor, a nurse practitioner, and another nurse.   They treated a lot of people for a lot of conditions.   One thing they did was take all the 40+ gogos and create a medical file for each one.   We want to track their health and make sure they get the simple things they need - medication for high blood pressure is a good example - to stay healthy and keep caring for all these kids!

Marcia is laying down the foundations for a future medical clinic in the rural area where the people need care but have little to access.   She is working two days a week at a clinic in the city here run by Children's Cup.   They had not had their clinic for long and they have learned a lot.   No need to reinvent the wheel, so Marcia is learning all she can as well as networking with other like minded people in the country.

Josiah is currently in Zimbabwe making a survey trip to investigate the future for AIM to have trips there.   He is learning a lot about land travel in Africa.   He left with a friend (Zimbabwean) early Wednesday.   They first went in a van full of people pulling a trailer.   This van would take them to Mozambique where they would catch a train to Zimbabwe.   We were supposed to hear from Josiah Friday night that he had arrived.   Instead he called Saturday night to tell us the train left Mozambique 12 hours late.   Ultimately he will be at Victoria Falls, then head home.   He called briefly tonight to wish me a happy Fathers Day.   It was good to hear from him!

A project I will be working hard on is a seedling project to raise vegetables to feed the orphans.   A 3 acre or so field has been plowed but now needs to be irrigated and seedlings planted.   Unfortunately the seedlings arrived before we built the fence or installed the watering system.   The struggle will be to keep everything alive while these things are put into place.   I am also learning more about the African mind and working their way to make things happen.   It can be frustrating.

I hope you can continue to pray for us as we keep working here in Swaziland.   Marcia is going to be working on more medical clinic investigation this week as well as planning a women's ministry with some prominent women in the community.

Maybe when Josiah gets back with our camera we can post some pictures later this week!