Women and girls are often the most affected by conflict, enduring violence, displacement, and exploitation. This issue was raised by Dr. Martha Mutisi, SADC Facilitator, at the ongoing Capacity Building Workshop on the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda in Eswatini.
The workshop, running from May 13 to 16, 2025, at Mountain View, is hosted by the Deputy Prime Minister’s Gender and Family Issues Unit, led by Nomzamo Dlamini. Facilitators from the SADC Secretariat, including Fabrice Kitenge Tunda, Kelly Dambuza, and Bame Mannathoko, are working with women from civil society, government ministries, and other key sectors.
The main objective of the workshop is to help Eswatini domesticate UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and implement the SADC Strategy on WPS (2018–2030). It also seeks to increase efforts to advance the WPS agenda across all phases of conflict: pre-conflict, active conflict, and post-conflict.
The WPS Agenda calls for the active involvement of women in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and peacemaking processes. Dr. Mutisi pointed out that women and girls make up around 95% of reported sexual abuse cases in conflict zones.
Nomzamo Dlamini, Gender and Family Issues Coordinator, added that this initiative would play a vital role in addressing gender-based violence in Eswatini, ensuring that intervention measures reach from the family level to the national level.
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