Too late, too little: The failure of law reform for women in Swaziland

Amnesty International, 2010, 7 Seiten

Women's organizations in Swaziland are battling to reform laws that treat women as second-class citizens. The governemt has failed to change these laws, despite repeatedly promising to do so. The result is that women in Swaziland are not protected by the law and face discrimination that is permitted by law. Women and girls have no legal protection from rape by their husbands. In the country with the highest prevalence of HIV in the world, there are no laws criminalizing domestic violence, forced marriages or early marriages. Most married women are denied equal status as legal adults and cannot administer property, sign contracts or conduct legal proceedings without their husband’s consent. Denied the right to own land, many widows are forced from their homes.