The EU team was unanimous that violence against women and girls should end now.

Ambassador Mecklenburg also spoke at the national launch of the 16 Days campaign held in Mbabane where he emphasised the importance of collective effort in the fight against GBV in Eswatini.

In his speech, the Ambassador said collective effort and sustained fight against GBV was key to breaking the vicious cycle that perpetuates the violence and said this can be done through promoting gender equality for all individuals, safeguarding the immediate well-being of survivors and embarking on impactful preventive action.

He said the EU strongly condemns all forms of violence against women and girls, including harmful practices, as a blatant violation of human rights. The Ambassador said it was absolutely unacceptable that women are violated, abused or harassed.

“This year’s launch of the 16 Days campaign takes place at a time when we read so much in the media about the growing scourge of GBV in Eswatini. Everyday we see newspaper headlines of women perishing, often in the most brutal and horrific manner, in the hands of their intimate partners. This calls for a collective and sustained fight against GBV,” said the Ambassador.

Also presented during the event was the Acting Deputy Prime Minister, Jane Mkhonta-Simelane, UN Resident Coordinator, George Wachira, and civil society organisations involved in issues of GBV.