Ezulwini – Deputy Prime Minister’s Office Senior Gender Analyst, Menzi Ntjalintjali, has urged the nation to take a firm stand against all forms of violence against women and children, calling on communities to reject abuse both in homes and online.
Ntjalintjali delivered the strong message during the official launch of the 2025 16 Days of Activism Against Abuse, held at the Royal Villas in Ezulwini. The campaign starts today, which is also the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and ends on December 10, Human Rights Day, globally. It is a call for global solidarity to end violence against women and girls everywhere.
Speaking after Acting Deputy Prime Minister, Sikhubuzo Dlamini, delivered the keynote address, Ntjalintjali said the country continues to face an alarming rise in violence cases. He said that operationally, the country promotes the everyday procedure to eliminate gender-based violance.
“We are nolonger observing the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based abuse. We now recognise 365 Days,” he said, adding that these are the days to scale up for call to end gender-based violance.
Dlamini highlighted that 14,335 cases of abuse were recorded in 2024, while 8,859 cases have already been documented between January and June 2025 signalling that the crisis may worsen without urgent intervention.
The campaign is being held under the theme “End Digital Violence Against All Women and Children,” which reflects growing concerns about online abuse, including cyberbullying, digital stalking, harassment, and the non-consensual distribution of intimate images.
In his keynote speech, ADPM Sikhubuzo Dlamini warned that technology is increasingly being misused to harm women and children, stressing that digital safety must be prioritised as part of national efforts to combat abuse.
Dlamini also outlined existing legal tools such as the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act of 2018 and the Computer Crime and Cybercrime Act of 2022, which criminalise both physical and technology-facilitated violence. He urged communities to familiarise themselves with these laws and use them to hold perpetrators accountable
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