Swaziland
Implications of the New Sex Ban for Young Women in Swaziland  

AWID / afrol News, 26 November - Interview With Phepsile Maseko, Coordinator of the National Youth Gender Caucus of Swaziland
By Shamillah Wilson, AWID.

- What is the five-year sex ban imposed on young women recently?

- On 16 September 2001, the Swaziland government announced a five-year sex ban for young women in an attempt to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. This means that during the five-year period, young women will have to observe a five-year prohibition on sex which includes no shaking of hands with males, no wearing of pants and in addition, young women will have to wear woolen tassels (symbolizing their untouchability) wherever they go for the next five years. The age group targeted has not been clearly stated, but women who are in relationships and older than 19 years will be expected to wear red and black tassels, and those still virgins will wear blue with yellow. This new intervention will be policed by traditional chiefs who still rule over much of Swazi society. Anyone who fails to observe the rules would be fined 1,300 Emalangeni (about US$ 152) or one cow.

- Why did the government impose this ban?

- Following the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the breakdown of the social fabric and the general crisis of the present system in Swaziland, the ruling monarch needed an excuse to disguise and avoid responsibility for the area's problems. In doing so he resorted to all sorts of schemes and short-cut fixations such as the sex ban on women only. This means he will also be able to freely identify all virgins to satisfy his limitless social appetite. In so doing he is laying the blame for this crisis on young people in general and young women in particular and ignoring the problems caused by the government. He has just built a hospital for the royal family while the majority of the population cannot access basic health. Also, he has built huge palaces and infrastructure projects that benefit only the royal family and has increased army spending to protect royal privileges from the wrath of the poor masses.

- Do you think this ban will meet its desired objective of combating HIV/AIDS? What do you think the impact will be?

- In terms of the impact of HIV/AIDS, more than 50,000 have died in Swaziland, which has a population of about one million. But the problem is much bigger. By announcing this ban, the government is clearly demonstrating an unwillingness to deal effectively with the epidemic. First, it does not try to address the problem through government policies and programs. It does not address the need to care of those already infected with the virus nor it does not introduce ways to prevent the spread of the disease through preventative methods such as good public awareness and education programmes. In addition, it does not increase access to reproductive healthcare services and information for young people. What it does do is demonize the issue of HIV/AIDS hoping that this approach will simply make it go away while further marginalizing those people already infected.

Finally, it only entrenches the power imbalances within such a patriarchal culture by making women's sexual activity an unnatural one that can have fatal consequences for men and reinforces that control of women within society. It encourages male sexual patterns and absolves them of any responsibility in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Instead of stopping sexual activity, it could have the effect of making it one of those underground activities.

- What has been the response from young people?

- The announcement has generally been met with outrage from young people. Why? Because it only focuses on young women and in turn violates the rights of young women. It violates their rights to non-discrimination, their right to liberty and security and their right to enjoy the highest standard of physical and mental health. It explicitly places the blame for HIV/AIDS at the feet of women and does not even mention anything about men and their sexual patterns. So, it very clearly delays progress as it is contrary to gender equality.

- What is the National Youth Gender Caucus and what are organizations such as yours doing about the ban?

- The National Youth Gender Caucus is an outcome of a process of joint programs between a wide range of youth formations, ranging from church, rural students and SWAYOCO. It was founded in 1998 and has since been an independent organization. The organization focuses on building the capacity of young women by involving young people around issues of gender, development and human rights. Furthermore, it is a vehicle to lobby and advocate for gender equality in Swaziland. The organization believes that if women become conscious of their human rights, they will start resisting and challenging abuses in their daily lives.

How can organizations like ours organize around this ban? We want to launch a campaign to raise funds to challenge the ban. Currently, we have a situation where women do not necessarily understand their rights. So the first thing we need to do is to start building that capacity. This will include looking at gender issues from economic, political, health, education and cultural perspectives and how they affect women in their daily lives. We would initially target young women and men because in order to challenge the ban, a partnership between young people will be imperative. The campaign would also need to go much wider. We would also need to start making our voices heard in government and of course begin sensitizing all members of society, particularly the traditional leaders themselves. Our goal would be to help them realize the importance of challenging inequalities and its institutionalization through a ban such as this. 

- Is anyone openly challenging this sex ban in Swaziland at the moment?

- Yes, PUDEMO (People`s United Democratic Movement), SWAYOCO (Swaziland Youth Congress), Trade Unions, SCAPEI (Economic-Justice movement), Swaziland National Union of Students, Swaziland Association of Students, churches, various rural movements, the Human Rights Association of Swaziland and several women's organizations. 

- Have there been any consequences for them?

- They have been politically prosecuted and socially victimized. 

- Also, has anyone been caught disobeying the ban?

- Yes, students have been kicked out of school by soldiers when they could not pay the fine. 

- In terms of broader advocacy, what human rights instruments is Swaziland a signatory to which could assist you in lobbying against this ban?

- Swaziland is a signatory to CEDAW, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Beijing Platform of Action. It is important to note, however, that the women who attend these international events are either the wives of the King or the wives of Members of Parliament. When they are in these spaces they are quiet, simply because the human rights violations that occur do not impact on them in the same way as the ordinary Swazi citizen. 

- Are there other organizations that can assist you in challenging and mobilizing against this ban?

- We are working closely with other human rights NGO's, women`s and student formations in Swaziland as well as the trade unions to strategize on how to collaborate to challenge human rights abuses. Secondly, support from the international human rights community would also be welcome. We need help in raising funds to challenge these human rights violations, share strategies with us and participate in other collaborative efforts as well. As noted before, the international human rights community should be skeptical of Swaziland's human rights structures. It may have signed on to many human rights conventions but given that the people who represent Swaziland at these meetings do not really represent the Swazi people we should be suspect of the government's real commitment. .

By Shamillah Wilson
Shamillah Wilson is AWID's Young Women and Leadership Theme Manager 

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