Women and girls in Swaziland are suffering and dying everyday from physical and sexual violence at the hands of men. Much of this is avoidable. This project will mentor and educate 600 men and boys in Swaziland to be peaceful and respectful men. Through 3-day intensive mentorship camps, participants will be encouraged to challenge negative social and cultural values that view women as sexual and expendable objects or as less than equal. Let’s put an end to #metoo stories in Swaziland.
The challenge
“Man confesses to beheading woman.” “Man stabs, kills girlfriend.” “Man grabs girl from mother, rapes her”. Real headlines like these feature almost daily within local newspapers in Swaziland, a country where 1 in 3 girls will experience some form of sexual/physical violence before age 18. See a common denominator? Men! Many of these heinous acts are committed by men, often someone close to the survivor. It’s time that we teach young men to cherish women & to treat them with dignity and respect.
The solution
Working in the most violent areas of the country, KI will host 3-day male-mentoring camps that allow young men to talk about violence against women, childhood abuse and expectations of manhood. These innovative camps will equip 600 young Swazi men to challenge a culture of sexual harassment, rape, and violence that many Swazi women and girls at all levels of society have faced. Young men will also be motivated to share this newly gained knowledge & perspective with peers as community activists.
Long-Term Impact
The project will mentor 600 young men and boys to be non-violent, positive community members who treat women as equals and with respect. These young men will also create significant change in their peers. As a result, thousands of women and girls in communities around Swaziland will no longer have to live and suffer in fear of sexual & physical violence. Family cohesion will flourish as men and women work together to build positive, more equal home environments and stronger Swazi communities.
Read more and contribute to the project here.