Human Rights and Freedom in Swaziland

https://www.humantruth.info/swaziland_human_rights_and_freedom.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2019

#human_rights #slavery #swaziland #swaziland_slavery

Swaziland Kingdom of Swaziland [Country Profile Page]
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	163rd best
Location	Africa
Population	1.1m₁
Life Expectancy	57.07yrs (2017)₂

Swaziland is very poor at ensuring human rights and freedom compared to the rest of the world, and it has cultural issues when it comes to tolerance and equality. Swaziland does better than average when it comes to combatting modern slavery₃. But unfortunately Swaziland gets most other things wrong. It does worse than average when it comes to supporting press freedom₄, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₅, opposing gender inequality₆ (still good for Africa), LGBT equality in the 2020s₇, its nominal commitment to Human Rights₈, freethought₉ and in its average Freedom in the World rating. Progress is always going to be difficult in a country where the richest 10% hold 40% of the country's entire income₁₀; the powerful and the rich dominate everyone else. There is no popular representation since political parties were banned in 1973, and the dictatorial rule of King Mswati III since 1986 continues to "repress political dissent and disregard human rights and rule of law""World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)₁₁.

1. Swaziland's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #swaziland #tolerance

Compared to Africa (2025)₁₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂
1	Cape Verde	65.1
2	S. Africa	70.5
3	Mauritius	76.4
	...
30	Uganda	119.9
31	Liberia	120.3
32	Algeria	123.0
33	Swaziland	124.1
34	Comoros	124.3
35	Egypt	125.4
36	Chad	127.2
37	Zimbabwe	127.2
38	Zambia	128.2
	Africa Avg	116.60
q=54.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)₁₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂
1	Sweden	7.5
2	Netherlands	8.6
3	Denmark	9.0
	...
158	Antigua & Barbuda	123.5
159	Maldives	123.5
160	Bangladesh	124.0
161	Swaziland	124.1
162	Comoros	124.3
163	Bahrain	125.2
164	Egypt	125.4
165	Chad	127.2
	World Avg	90.04
q=198.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, The Netherlands and Denmark₁₃. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, Eritrea and Saudi Arabia₁₃.

30 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, combatting modern slavery, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₁₃, whereas the worst are The Middle East, Africa and Asia₁₃.

For more, see:

" Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Amnesty International's 2023-23 summary on human rights in Swaziland stated:

“Fundamental freedoms were suppressed. Political activists were arrested, subjected to torture and other ill-treatment and their homes were raided by security forces. Peaceful protests were violently dispersed, and the government denied human rights concerns raised by UN Special Rapporteurs. Hundreds remained at risk of forced eviction. LGBTI people faced discrimination, harassment and exclusion. Women�€�s rights organizations continued to raise concerns about gender-based violence.”
"The State of the World's Human Rights 2022/23" by Amnesty International (2023)₁₄

“Ruled by absolute monarch King Mswati III since 1986, Swaziland continued to repress political dissent and disregard human rights and rule of law in 2017. Political parties remained banned, as they have been since 1973; the independence of the judiciary is severely compromised and repressive laws continued to be used to target critics of the government and the king, despite basic rights guarantees in Swaziland´s 2005 constitution. [...]
amendments to the Public Order Act grant sweeping powers to the national commissioner of police to arbitrarily halt pro-democracy meetings and protests, and crush any criticism of the government.”
"World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)₁₁

2. Human Rights & Tolerance Datasets

2.1. Press Freedom

#democracy #freedom #Freedom_of_Speech #Good_Governance #mass_media #politics #UK

Press Freedom Higher is better₄
Pos.		2025₄
1	Norway	92.31
2	Estonia	89.46
3	Netherlands	88.64
	...
94	Tanzania	53.68
95	Serbia	53.55
96	Brunei	53.47
97	Swaziland	52.86
98	Kosovo	52.73
99	Angola	52.67
100	Mozambique	52.63
101	Mongolia	52.57
	Africa Avg	52.30
	World Avg	54.65
q=179. Also scored for 2000s-2010s.

With regard to supporting press freedom, Swaziland ranks 97th in the world.

The freedom to investigate, publish information, and have access to others' opinion is a fundamental part of today's information-driven world, and is linked with Freedom of Speech and Good Governance. Scores on the Press Freedom Index are calculated according to indicators including pluralism - the degree to which opinions are represented in the media, media independence of authorities, self-censorship, legislation, transparency and the infrastructure that supports news and information, and, the level of violence against journalists which includes lengths of imprisonments. The index "does not take direct account of the kind of political system but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted". The rankings are used as one of the datasets of the Social and Moral Development Index₁₅

It must be noted that press freedom is not an indicator of press quality and the press itself can be abusive; the UK suffers in particular from a popular brand of nasty reporting that infuses several of its newspapers who are particularly prone to running destructive and often untrue campaigns against victims. The Press Freedom Index notes that "the index should in no way be taken as an indicator of the quality of the media in the countries concerned".

For more, see:

"Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2026).

Eswatini is one of only 19 countries who in 2025 had better press freedom than in the 2010s.

Averages by decade for Swaziland (for the ranks, lower is better):

Press Freedom	2000s Average	2010s Average
Swaziland:	41.31	50.72
World Rank:	135th	⇣ 153rd
World Avg:	27.44	65.91

2.2. Slavery in the 2020s

#burundi #eritrea #human_rights #indonesia #slavery

Slavery in the 2020s Lower is better₃
Pos.		Slavery in the 2020s Per 1000₃
1=	Switzerland	0.50
1=	Norway	0.50
3=	Germany	0.60
	...
42=	Latvia	3.40
42=	Sierra Leone	3.40
44	S. Korea	3.50
45	Swaziland	3.60
46	Burkina Faso	3.70
47=	Portugal	3.80
47=	Israel	3.80
49=	Guinea	4.00
	Africa Avg	6.90
	World Avg	7.15
q=160. Also scored for 2010s-2020s.

In terms of combatting modern slavery, Swaziland comes 45th in the world.

Modern slavery includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones, and the poverty-stricken vulnerable.₁₆. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₁₇, Eritrea₁₇, Indonesia₁₈) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say in their 2023 report, that 50 million people are living in modern slavery₁₇, and, nearly two-thirds of those in forced labour are employed at the end of supply chains working for large multinationals that creating products consumed by rich countries₁₉.

For more, see:

"The Historical Slave Trade and Modern Slavery" by Vexen Crabtree (2018).

Averages by decade for Swaziland (for the ranks, lower is better):

Slavery	2010s Average	2020s Average
Swaziland:	8.80	3.60
World Rank:	144th	⇡ 45th
World Avg:	6.54	7.15

2.3. Freedom in the World

#freedom #human_rights #hungary #politics #USA

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
186=	China	6.5
186=	Chad	6.5
186=	Burundi	6.5
186=	Swaziland	6.5
186=	Syria	6.5
186=	Congo, (Brazzaville)	6.5
192=	Equatorial Guinea	7.0
192=	S. Sudan	7.0
	Africa Avg	4.8
	World Avg	3.7
q=205. Also scored for 1970s-2010s.

Swaziland comes 20th-worst in the world in terms of its average Freedom in the World rating.

Freedom House's long-standing annual report has been running since the 1970s, collecting data on political rights (PR) and civil liberties (CL). Their reports rate countries as "Free", "Partially Free" or "Not Free", however the results here are based on their numerical values. Many countries score the best combination of scores (1 and 1), which is why the table of results show many places equally placed in 1st place. In the past two decades, some well-established democracies like the USA and Hungary have been falling. Whilst most of the world in general is improving rights and freedoms over time, the 2020s has seen some regression.

For more, see:

" Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Averages by decade for Swaziland (for the ranks, lower is better):

Freedom in the World	1970s Average	1980s Average	1990s Average	2000s Average	2010s Average
Swaziland:	4.8	5.3	5.5	5.9	6.1
World Rank:	84th	⇣ 108th	⇣ 150th	⇣ 180th	⇡ 177th
World Avg:	4.3	4.2	3.6	3.4	3.4

2.4. Human Rights Watch Comments

#human_rights

Human Rights Watch Comments Higher is better₅
Pos.		2017 Score₅
1=	UK	9
1=	France	9
1=	Germany	9
	...
100=	Yemen	-7
100=	Egypt	-7
100=	Equatorial Guinea	-7
100=	Swaziland	-7
100=	Indonesia	-7
100=	Ethiopia	-7
106=	Russia	-8
106=	Turkmenistan	-8
	Africa Avg	-5.6
	World Avg	-1.9
q=123.

Swaziland is positioned 15th-worst in the world regarding commentary in Human Rights Watch reports.

Human Rights Watch comments concentrate mostly on negative issues, however, they also make positive comments for those countries that engage in human rights defence around the world, or who make improvements at home. By adding up positive and negative comments (including double-points for negatives that involve large scales and crimes against humanity), the Social and Moral Index turns HRW commentary into quantified values. Some countries may be unfairly penalized because HRW have not examined them, and, some countries "get away" with abuses if they manage to hide it, or if it goes unnoticed - a negative point has been given for those countries in which HRW specifically state that access to investigators has been barred. The points were limited to a minimum of -10 because there are some points at which things are so bad, with abuses affecting so many, it is difficult to be more specific about the depths of the issues.

For more, see:

"Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2026).

2.5. Nominal Commitment to HR

#human_rights

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better₈
Pos.		2009 Treaties₈
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
150=	Bahamas	11
150=	Cuba	11
150=	Guyana	11
150=	Swaziland	11
150=	Zimbabwe	11
155=	Saudi Arabia	10
155=	Laos	10
155=	Solomon Islands	10
	Africa Avg	14.8
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

Swaziland comes 148th in the world in terms of its nominal commitment to Human Rights.

There are many international agreements on Human Rights, and, many mechanisms by which countries can be brought to account for their actions. Together, these have been the biggest historical movement in the fight against oppression and inhumanity. Or, putting it another way: these are rejected mostly by those who wish to oppress inhumanely. None of them are perfect and many people object to various components and wordings, but, no-one has come up with, and enforced, better methods of controlling the occasional desires that states and peoples have of causing angst for other states and peoples in a violent, unjust or inhumane way. Points are awarded for the number of Human Rights agreements ratified by the country, plus the acceptance of the petition mechanisms for disputes. The maximum possible score in 2009 was 24.

For more, see:

"Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2026).

2.6. HR Treaties Lag

#human_rights #international_law #micronesia #politics #small_islands

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better₂₀
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty₂₀
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
151	Suriname	12.81
152	Andorra	12.91
153	Bhutan	13.01
154	Swaziland	13.16
155	Equatorial Guinea	13.18
156	Vanuatu	13.21
157	Guinea-Bissau	13.23
158	Liechtenstein	13.28
	Africa Avg	9.88
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Swaziland is positioned 154th in the world when it comes to speed of uptake of HR treaties.

Human Rights (HR) Treaties Lag is a count of how long it took each country to sign each of 11 key HR treaties. From the date of the first signatory of each treaty, all other countries have one point added to their score for each day they delayed in signing. Results are presented as average time in years to sign each one. The lower a country's score, the more enthusiastically it has taken on international Human Rights Treaties - which are, of course, minimal standards of good governance. The slowest are the countries of Micronesia, Melanesia, Australasia and Polynesia all lagged by over 12 years per treaty. The best regions are The Americas, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.

For more, see:

" Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

3. Gender Equality Datasets

Swaziland is an unequal country, with male rights dominating those of women.

“Under both Swazi customary law and the Marriage Act (1964), married women are assigned a disadvantaged status, granting men more privileges and rights. The act provides that married women require the consent of their husbands to enter into certain contracts, including accessing credit from financial institutions. The Marriage Act imposes on African spouses the customary consequences of marriage while granting to non-African spouses the common law consequences of marriage. This violates the right of married women to be free from racial discrimination under the constitution and international human rights treaties.”
"World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)₁₁

See:

3.1. Gender Inequality

#gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #women

Gender Inequality Lower is better₆
Pos.		2022₆
1	Denmark	0.01
2	Norway	0.01
3	Switzerland	0.02
	...
122	Syria	0.49
123=	Ethiopia	0.50
123=	Nepal	0.50
125	Swaziland	0.50
126	Bangladesh	0.50
127	Burundi	0.50
128	Senegal	0.51
129	Tanzania	0.51
	Africa Avg	0.53
	World Avg	0.34
q=166. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Still good for Africa with regard to opposing gender inequality, Swaziland ranks 125th in the world.

The UN Human Development Reports include statistics on gender equality which take into account things like maternal mortality, access to political power (seats in parliament) and differences between male and female education rates. Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchalism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

For more, see:

"Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

On average throughout the 2010s, Swaziland's rate was 0.53.

3.2. Year Women Can Vote

#christianity #gender_equality #human_rights #politics #women

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Year Women Can Vote Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
151=	Tuvalu	1967
151=	Kiribati	1967
151=	Ecuador	1967
154=	Swaziland	1968
154=	Nauru	1968
156=	Congo, (Brazzaville)	1970
156=	Congo, DR	1970
156=	Yemen	1970
	Africa Avg	1961
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

In terms of the year from which women could participate in democracy, Swaziland comes 154th in the world.

Women now have equal rights in the vast majority of countries across the world. Although academic literature oftens talks of when a country "grants women the right to vote", this enforces a backwards way of thinking. Women always had the right to vote, however, they were frequently denied that right. The opposition to women's ability to vote in equality with man was most consistently and powerfully opposed by the Catholic Church, other Christian organisations, Islamic authorities and some other religious and secular traditionalists.

For more, see:

"Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

4. Prejudice Datasets

4.1. LGBT Equality in the 2020s

#2020s #equality #homosexuality #human_rights #ICCPR #intolerance #sexuality #tolerance

LGBT Equality in the 2020s Higher is better₇
Pos.		LGBT Equality in the 2020s Score₇
1=	Germany	4.88
1=	Spain	4.88
3	Portugal	4.81
	...
124	Gabon	-1.38
125	Vatican City	-1.45
126	Georgia	-1.49
127	Swaziland	-1.51
128	Venezuela	-1.63
129	Central African Rep.	-1.74
130	Lebanon	-1.84
131	China	-1.91
	Africa Avg	-3.78
	World Avg	-1.21
q=215. Also scored for 1970s-2020s.

With regard to LGBT equality in the 2020s, Swaziland comes 127th in the world.

Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) folk is rife across the world. Legal restrictions co-exist alongside social stigmatisation and physical violence₂₁. LGBT tolerance and equal rights have been fought for country-by-country against tightly entrenched cultural and religious opposition. Adult consensual sexual activity is a Human Right and protected by privacy laws₂₂. Despite this, it is illegal to be homosexual in over 60 countries (as of 2025)₂₃. The Vexen LGBT Equality Index as part of the Social and Moral Development Index grants points to each country depending on its LGBT stance since the 1970s₂₄_,₂₅. Europe is by far the least prejudiced region, but in the Middle East and Africa cultural prejudice goes hand-in-hand with state intolerance, all too often including physical violence.

For more, see:

" LGBT Rights Across the World: Which are the Best and Worst Countries?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Prejudiced Roman-Dutch common law was adopted in Eswatini, including the Transvaal Colony�€�s sodomy provisions in 1907. Male homosexuality is still technically illegal, though the law is not enforced. Female homosexuality has never been criminalized.

ILGA researchers in 2017 found that Swaziland had no legal protections against anti-LGBT discrimination. They documented cases of LGBT folk being arrested as a result of discriminatory laws within the previous few years.

Averages by decade for Swaziland (for the ranks, lower is better):

LGBT Equality	1970s Average	1980s Average	1990s Average	2000s Average	2010s Average	2020s Average
Swaziland:	-2.00	-2.00	-2.00	-1.00	-1.05	-1.51
World Rank:	64th	⇣ 72nd	⇣ 90th	⇣ 105th	⇣ 119th	⇣ 127th
World Avg:	-2.98	-2.87	-2.60	-2.15	-1.10	-1.21

4.2. Freedom of Thought

#europe #freedom_of_belief #freethought #human_rights #netherlands #religion #religious_tolerance #secularism #the_enlightenment

Freedom of Thought Lower is better₉
Pos.		2021₉
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
	...
147=	Uzbekistan	3.7
147=	Andorra	3.7
149=	Chad	3.8
149=	Swaziland	3.8
149=	Thailand	3.8
149=	Myanmar	3.8
149=	Zimbabwe	3.8
149=	Samoa	3.8
	Africa Avg	3.1
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

Swaziland comes 149th in the world in terms of freethought.

Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief are upheld in Article 18 the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights₂₆. It affirms that it is a basic human right that all people are free to change their beliefs and religion as they wish₂₇. No countries voted against this (although eight abstained). This right was first recognized clearly in the policies of religious toleration of the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe in the post-enlightenment era₂₈ of the 19th century. In democratic countries, freedom of belief and religion is now taken for granted₂₉. In 2016 a study found that over 180 countries in the world had come to guarantee freedom of religion and belief₃₀. The best countries at doing so are Belgium, The Netherlands and Taiwan₉_,₃₁ and the worst: Afghanistan, N. Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia₉_,₃₂.

Long-term studies have shown that religious violence and persecution both decrease in cultures where religious freedom is guaranteed₃₃. Despite this, there still are many who are strongly against freedom of belief₂₇, including entire cultures and many individual communities of religious believers. Their alternative is that you are not free to believe what you want and they often state that you cannot change religion without being punished (often including the death penalty): this is bemoaned as one of the most dangerous elements of religion₃₄ and "the denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms"₃₅ and the solution is, everywhere, to allow religious freedom and the freedom of belief.

For more, see:

"Freethought - Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion" by Vexen Crabtree (2022).