The Drivers of Violence Affecting Children in Swaziland

Swaziland is leading efforts globally to build an evidence base for preventing violence against children by being one of the first countries to undertake and publish results from a national Research to Policy and Practice Process (R3P) ‘Drivers of Violence Affecting Children’ Study. This methodology was pioneered by UNICEF’s Office of Research in partnership with the University of Edinburgh. The study was led by the Multi-Sectorial Task Team on Violence (MTTV) which is coordinated by the Swaziland Deputy Prime Minister's Office to oversee all violence related activities, with academic leads from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Swaziland. The study was funded by PEPFAR and supported by UNICEF Swaziland. This study systematically and comprehensively engages with the existing data and a wide range of respondents to understand why violence happens and what can be done to prevent it. In addition, Swaziland is the first  country to map these drivers of violence – or factors at the institutional and structural levels that create the conditions in which violence is more likely to occur – onto strategies that are highly likely or proven to be effective at preventing violence. This analysis will ensure that findings from this innovative study are used to inform evidence-based programming and policies that are grounded in the context and experiences of Swaziland.