Amanda J. Pierz,
PhD, MSc
A mixed-methods approach to understanding factors contributing to the reduction of childhood sexual violence:
A case study of Eswatini
Amanda’s doctoral research was driven by a central question: How can countries build the political will and institutional capacity to prevent childhood sexual violence (CSV)? While global evidence on violence against children (VAC) has grown substantially over the past two decades, national-level commitment to translating this evidence into action has often lagged behind. Too often, governments lack the context-specific data and policy frameworks needed to prioritize CSV alongside other urgent public health challenges.
The Violence Against Children Surveys (VACS) were designed to address this gap by
producing robust, nationally representative prevalence data while directly engaging
policymakers and stakeholders in reviewing and responding to findings. Among the few
countries that have conducted multiple rounds of VACS, eSwatini stands out as the first to
do so, offering a rare opportunity to examine how evidence, advocacy, and political
opportunity aligned to reduce CSV at the national level.
This work was supported by the CUNY School of Public Health’s Dean’s Dissertation Award for Mixed Methods Research, which enabled immersive fieldwork in Mbabane and Manzini, Eswatini for three weeks. With this funding, she was able to conduct her key informant interviews in-person, engage in archival research and working alongside local stakeholders provided an essential opportunity to understand how global tools like VACS intersect with national priorities, sociocultural dynamics, and community-based advocacy.
In culmination of her doctoral training, Amanda conducted a mixed-methods case study of
eSwatini’s national response to CSV from 2007 to 2022. This project combined:
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Quantitative analysis of the 2007 and 2022 VACS to assess changes in CSV prevalence, contextual experiences of violence, and associations with sexual and mental health outcomes.
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Content analysis of national policy, legal, and programmatic documents to map how child protection frameworks and interventions evolved across three key phases: emergence, growth, and prioritization.
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Key informant interviews with government officials, civil society leaders, and development partners in Mbabane and Manzini to capture perspectives on facilitators, barriers, and lessons learned in the national response.
This triangulated design was guided by an adapted multiple streams model of agenda
setting, which she used to examine how problem recognition, policy solutions, and political
prioritization converged to institutionalize CSV prevention and response.
Amanda’s study provides evidence of a national reduction in CSV in Eswatini between 2007 and 2022 and illustrates how policy, data, and advocacy converged to produce this change. The Eswatini case highlights the importance of multisectoral coordination with one national
office serving as the coordinator between groups, community-driven advocacy with civil society as “problem brokers” and national CSV prevalence data to ignite political prioritization. It also illustrates the value of multiple rounds of VACS as tools for diagnosis, prioritization, and accountability in the prevention of CSV. Findings from this study may inform the implementation of VACS in other contexts including HICs like the United States. Lessons learned from Eswatini may offer valuable insights for strengthening CSV prevention and response systems globally, particularly through evidence-based programming and cross-sectoral collaboration among actors in the national government.
Amanda has presented her case study theory as a poster presentation at ISPCAN 2025 (Vilnius) and recently defended her dissertation in December 2025.