Swaziland is one of the sub-Saharan African countries affected by Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and HIV and AIDS, with women facing greater risk compared to men. In response to increasing reports of violence against women and children in the country, the Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) launched a Girls’ Empowerment Clubs (GEC) program in primary and secondary schools in order prevent SGBV cases. Due to limitations of the program (such as being led by teachers and reliance on volunteers), an intervention study was carried out from 2012 to 2013 to test the effectiveness of an enhanced version, ‘GEC-Plus,’ that used a ‘Safe Spaces’ approach of building the girls’ social assets in order to mitigate SGBV. The overall goal of the project was to prevent SGBV and improve reporting of SGBV cases among in-school girls. The specific objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of implementing the GEC-Plus project on SGBV knowledge, attitudes, and practices among in-school girls in Swaziland. The study used a pre- and post-intervention design without a comparison group and included three girls’ secondary schools in the Lubombo Region in Eastern Swaziland which were selected in collaboration with the Ministry of Education Regional Office. Data collection involved baseline and endline quantitative interviews with in-school girls ages 16 and above who participated in the GEC-Plus program. This report summarizes the key results emerging from the study.
Centro de Recursos de Saúde e Educação