SWAZILAND: Women challenging their traditional status as minors

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

MBABANE, 8 Mar 2005 (IRIN) - Amid growing concern over increased incidents of gender-based violence, the Swazi government on Tuesday pledged its ongoing commitment to protecting women.

"The nation has strong traditional, cultural and ethical morals that respect women in society - incest, rape, violence and other acts of disrespect against women do not respect our values and traditions as Swazis," Prime Minister Themba Dlamini said in statement marking International Women's Day.

The tiny landlocked country hit the headlines last year when a young woman was stripped and gang-raped by bus conductors at the terminus in the country's main commercial centre, Manzini, while spectators cheered them on.

The woman had allegedly angered the conductors by wearing a miniskirt, which they claimed was "unSwazi". Women in the conservative African kingdom generally wear modern Western clothing and have worn miniskirts since the 1960s, although the government at one stage considered banning them on moral grounds.

Gender activists have said the upswing in domestic violence cases in recent times could be directly related to the low fines imposed on perpetrators found guilty of assault.

"On rare occasions, when a husband is arrested for domestic violence, he is booked for common assault. If convicted, he has to pay only R60 ($10). This is neither a punishment nor a deterrent - we need stiffer laws," Nonhlanhla Dlamini, director of Swaziland's Action Group Against Abuse, told IRIN.

Despite being legally regarded as minors, women in Swaziland have begun to challenge the status quo. Earlier this week Leliswe Nxumalo, a widow, sued her in-laws, who had ordered her out of her husband's house and confiscated all her marital property after his death.

Under Swazi custom, a widow is expected to marry her deceased husband's brother and continue bearing children. The family argued that, by tradition, the deceased man's property belonged to them and not to the widow. They also castigated the widow for refusing to go into a month-long seclusion following her husband's funeral, as custom dictates.

Nxumalo countered that she needed to return to work to support herself, especially since her in-laws had confiscated her husband's estate. The case is among several that have brought the situation regarding Swazi women's rights into sharp focus over the past year.

Women may not own property or enter into contracts without the sponsorship of a male relative.

Although a new constitution is expected to improve the rights of Swazi women, critics argue that, like all constitutional clauses, these rights may be suspended by the king, Mswati III.

[ENDS]