It’s not strangers who abuse us – LGBTQI+

MBABANE – The lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or queer intersex (LGBTQI+) community said about 27 per cent of people known to them sexually abuse them.

This is according to information that was gathered after clients reported cases of gender-based violence to the Rock of Hope (ROH).

Other perpetrators of GBV within the LGBTQI+ community included intimate partners, strangers or someone they lived with.

In these categories, people known to the survivors took the lead.

The data shows that most cases of sexual violence were reported against ‘someone known but not an intimate partner.’

This suggests that LGBTQI+ people were mostly sexually abused by a relative, sibling, parent, friend, or neighbour, but the definition is broad. In total, 104 clients were recorded and reported GBV to the organisation.

The nature of the abuse recorded was sexual violence.

There were 28 (27.72 per cent) clients who said they were survivors of GBV from a person who was known to them.

Strangers came in second place, as they account for 26 per cent of those cases, while the least recorded was from reporting someone who lived with the survivors.

STRANGER

This is after 26 people reported being sexually abused by a stranger.

Intimate partner relationships recorded 24.5 per cent after 25 people reported sexual abuse cases. Those who reported suffering physical violence said most of it was committed by intimate partners. There were 35 out of 103 cases reported against intimate partners, translating to 33.98 per cent.

Someone known but not an intimate partner recorded 34 cases, which equates to 34 per cent.

Strangers followed at third place with 31.63 per cent (34 cases), and someone who lived with them recorded 17.7 per cent.

The ROH said more handson deck is needed to curb GBV within the LGBTQI+ community.

Last week, the Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities (ESGM) Director Sisanda Mavimbela said the registration of the organisation, which is opposed has costs implications.

These costs included missed funding to implement activities for the clients ESGM serves which hamstrung them to comprehensively address GBV within the same community.

VIOLENCE

Mavimbela said ESGM was spreading awareness about intimate partner violence and that more interventions were needed, but without the registration, they kept referring their clients to other organisations.

This, Mavimbela said, made data collection a challenge.

“Even within the LGBTQI+ community, we face intimate partner violence. It is high across the country and should be declared a national crisis,” Mavimbela said.

Also, ROH Communications Officer Mangaliso Mndzebele said for the LGBTQ community, there were a lot of GBV cases, but ‘its takes time for the community to report such cases.’

Mndzebele said their organisation had interventions, including assisting communities through community centres to report cases to the police.

He also said they provided psychosocial support to people who needed it and sensitise police officers on how to handle cases involving the LGBTQI+ community with care. Mndzebele said ROH discourages stigma and discrimination, ‘which will help more of our clients report on GBV cases’.

“We deeply ask our clients to come forward and report GBV cases or any other issues they face with their loved ones at an early stage to try and deal with them before they escalate.

Even though we help more clinically, with the help of other CBOs (community-based organisations), we always handle all cases with care and try by all means to address GBV cases,” Mndzebele said. This goes for Key Populations (KPs).

According to Health Plus for Men, KPs including men who have sex with men (MSMs), sex workers, transport operators, people who inject drugs (PWIDs) and transgender people.

Health Plus for Men Executive Director Sibusiso Lulu Maziya said they have reports of GBV cases within the categories of emotional, economic, sexual physical and other rights abuses.

Maziya said emotional abuse entails being threatened, verbally abused, humiliated or made to feel afraid.

Economic abuse is when one is not being paid money due or being robbed, blackmailed, or forced to pay money to avoid an arrest. Physical abuse is being assaulted, punched, kicked, slapped, choked, cut, or otherwise, being physically hurt.

Sexual abuse is when you are forced to have sex or do something sexual you didn’t want to do such as have sex without protection while other rights violation include being denied services, arrested and detained.

RECORDED

In the data of KPs from October 2023 to February 2024, Health Plus for Men recorded 409 cases of GBV.

In October 2023, there were 109 GBV cases reported to Heath Plus for Men. There were 67 emotional abuse cases, accounting for 67 per cent.

There were 10 (10 per cent) physical abuse reported cases; nine for sexual abuse and 16 economic abuse cases.

In November, there were 136 GBV cases.

Emotional abuse accounted for 80 per cent of the cases.

Out of 136, there were 108 cases while economic abuse and sexual abuse accounted for 10 per cent each. In December there were 40 cases.

Emotional abuse cases were leading with 65 per cent.

Sexual abuse cases attained 15 per cent, together with economic abuse while physical abuse cases stood at five per cent.

In January this year, there were 100 GBV cases.

Emotional abuse cases were 66 (66 per cent); economic abuse cases 16 per cent; sexual abuse cases were 13 per cent, and; physical abuse cases were five per cent.