The ICJ today submitted a briefing note to the Senate of Swaziland calling for its urgent adoption of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Bill 2015.
The ICJ’s briefing note concludes that enactment of the Bill is a matter required of the Kingdom of of Swaziland pursuant to its regional and universal human rights law obligations to criminalize and sanction the perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence. Compliance with those obligations is reinforced by the ‘Vision 2022’ of His Majesty King Mswati III, the aims and targets of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office and Swaziland’s consensus in the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The ICJ’s briefing note also concludes that, ten years after initial drafting of the Bill, its enactment during the current session of the Parliament of Swaziland is an essential step in complying with recommendations of the UN Human Rights Committee and CEDAW Committee and as a means of discharging the commitments made by His Majesty’s Government during the 2016 Universal Periodic Review.
Swaziland-SOADVBill-Advocacy-ParliamentaryBriefingNote-2018-ENG (Parliamentary Briefing Note, in PDF)
