Eswatini Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) Priority Indicator Report 2022

Eswatini (previously Swaziland) was the first country to undertake the Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) in 2007. The first of its kind, the survey was led by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, with support from UNICEF, PEPFAR, and UNAIDS. Implemented by the Swaziland Central Statistics Office with technical assistance from CDC, the survey focused on sexual, physical, and emotional violence against girls and young adults between the ages of 13 and 24. Since then, all future VACS included boys’ experiences.

In 2021, data collection was completed for Eswatini’s second VACS, this time including the experiences of both boys and girls. Conducting a second VACS in a country allows the opportunity to measure progress made since the first VACS and identify emerging trends in violence against children.

On December 7, 2022, Eswatini launched its Priority Indicator Report (PIR), which presents the priority indicators from Eswatini’s second VACS.

Partners include:

• Government: Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Justice, Central Statistics Office, and Royal Eswatini Police.
• Bilateral and multilateral organizations: UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS, WHO, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Division of Violence Prevention (CDC/DVP), and USAID.
• Non-government: Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse, Save the Children, World Vision, and National Emergency Response Council on HIV and AIDS.