Commitment to giving a voice to the forgotten and the shunned populace
Commitment description:As Lesbian Bisexual Queer Rights Swaziland we believe in equal human rights for all and are dedicated to the eradication of Gender Based Violence, the realization of freedom of expression and dignity for LBQ people in our country and we commit to providing platforms where LBQ women are given a voice to share their plight of homophobia, stigma and discrimination and forced marriages and rape as a corrective means . There needs to be a solid movement building strategy in place that is focused on researching the different lived realities in different communities hence capturing the drastic differences between rural and urban lived experiences in relation to gender based violence. In that way we will be able to fine tune programmes according to the needs of those communities specifically tailor made for their context and not just go with the flow of being uniform and focusing on issues that might not be relevant to that particular place. Also country exchange visits for capacity building may help to develop small organisations capacities, knowledge and skills by more established organisations that have been doing the work successfully for a long time. We need to be vigorous in demanding for our equal rights and to advance the call for equality and dignity of LBQ women. We commit to making sure that LBQ women are acknowledged so that their issues may be taken seriously and be afforded the visibility they deserve. Community dialogues with traditional leaders and chiefs in the rural areas is critical in achieving the end of gender based violence against LBQ women as the information hardly reaches their quarters yet they possess so much authority and power over peoples perceptions and on what occurs in the different constituencies.
Mode of engagement:
- Programmatic actionInvest in programmes that will clearly state the actions needed in our country to reduce the rising scourge of Gender based violence,through massive national marches and media statements,inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity minorities.
Address gender-based violence and the harmful practices of child, early and forced marriages and female genital mutilation(5) (a) Zero sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices, including zero child, early and forced marriage, as well as zero female genital mutilation; and (b) Elimination of all forms of discrimination against all women and girls, in order to realize all individuals’ full socio-economic potential.
