Eswatini

Though consensual same-sex acts are not legal in Eswatini (note: sometimes stylized as eSwatini), the government does not seriously enforce these laws. However, activists maintain that the mere existence of the anti-gay law is “like pointing a gun at [them]” (Reuters, 2019). This lack of commitment to reforming discriminatory anti-LGBT laws and dismissal of SGM populations is unfortunately common amongst government officials in the country; the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, said Swaziland would not extend human rights to LGBTI people, because they did not exist in the Kingdom (The Other Foundation, 2017).Despite what officials may believe, Eswatini has a lively activist culture; groups such as Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities (ESGM) and Rock of Hope Eswatini work to better the situation for SGM individuals in the country. It is through their advocacy and activism that the country held its first pride parade in 2018. We can only assume that it is also their work that made the large body of research into SGM populations in eSwatini possible. Eswatini also has the highest national HIV prevalence globally at 27%among 15-59 year olds (unicef, 2020), mostly due to “key gaps [which] still [exist] in design and delivery of effective high impact interventions at sufficient coverage,” rendering the work of organizations like ESGM and Rock of Hope requisite in controlling the epidemic.

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