Mini skirts.Tank tops.
Crops tops.
Low rise jeans.
Now, all of these 'offensive' items of clothing can land women in jail in Swaziland.
That's right - jail.
Up to 6 months in jail.
This law has been on the books since 1889 as part of the Crimes Act. The law made women who were sexually assaulted the sole party responsible for the attacks. And it's sad that more than 100 years later, Swazi officials seek to do the same thing today.
The new enforcement comes after police encountered women last month who wore mini-skirts in protest of sexual violence. In Swaziland, two-thirds of young women have been sexually assaulted and adult women have the same legal rights as minors in the country.
Police spokesperson Wendy Hlelta says that the laws are only being enforced so that women are not raped.
Yes, because women are asking for it if they dress in revealing clothing. Even in Sub-saharan Africa where one of us spent a summer and can attest to the burning hot environment.
Hlelta said:
“We do not encourage that women should be harmed, but at the same time people should note acceptable conduct of behavior. The act of the rapist is made easy because it would be easy to remove the half-cloth worn by the women. I have read from the social networks that men and even other women have a tendency of ‘undressing people with their eyes’. That becomes easier when the clothes are hugging or are more revealing.Yes, 'undressing people with their eyes' is the primary culprit of rape.
However, the police will not be enforcing the dress code law when it comes to traditional clothing, especially when women dance in a g-string bare-breasted as part of the "indlamu" dance for the King Mwati.
And under this new system, anyone can complain to the police. Hlelta says that if the police receive complaints, "They will be arrested." No mention here of arresting men who harass and abuse women on the streets.
Police officials have also advised women on how to pick up objects when they drop them, with an emphasis on preventing male rape.
“For females it is polite that when you have dropped something, squat with your upper body still upright and pick up the item rather than bending half your body head first to pick up the item.”
You know what's polite? Not blaming women for rampant sexual assault and actually apprehending the perpetrators.
This is not the first time Swaziland officials have taken to limiting clothing choices for women in the name of sexual safety.
Just more than 10 years ago, the Swaziland government passed a law requiring female students age 10 and older "to wear knee-length skirts to curb promiscuity as part of attempts to halt the spread of AIDS." Swaziland has one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the world with more than 1.2 million people infected.
Read more here.
