Violence Against Women
In a move to assist various stakeholders in the country to take appropriate action in eradicating violence against women and children, the government expects to launch a national Action Plan (2017-2022) in December to eliminate violence in the country.
The plan has analysed the role of each stakeholder in the country including schools with the aim of sensitising teachers and students on acts of gender-based violence (GBV).
The revelations were made yesterday in Dar es Salaam by the Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elders and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu, when launching the 16 Days of Activism against GBV.
Ms Mwalimu said in the plan society role has also been analysed in which practices and traditions harmful to women will be addressed.
"This is the second Action Plan. The initial one which was implemented between 2001 and 2015 has largely changed the society's understanding on the elements of gender violence," she noted However, various amendments have been initiated by the government to eliminate violence.
The minister said that enforcing them was the biggest challenge. She gave the example of the gender and children desks which have failed to assist in violence cases. Under the theme 'Open Up, Say No to Gender- Based Violence: Safe Education for All', 16 Days of Activism against GBV, it is aimed to raise public awareness and galvanise the momentum in advocacy efforts across the globe.
This year, UN Women Tanzania partnered with Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) and marched to end GBV across Tanzania in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Kilimanjaro, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara and Mwanza.
Ms Mwalimu said the theme gives an opportunity to review other areas affected by gender violence in the community and thus convince the government and stakeholders to ensure that children have access to safe education without any kind of violence.
UN Women Tanzania Representative, Ms Maria Karadenizli, said violence against women and girls was not only a global epidemic and a global crisis but also has grave socio-economic implications and threatens the household's economic welfare.
"A recent study estimated that the cost of violence against women and girls in 2013 could be as high as 11.2 per cent of the global economy with intimate partner violence accounting for 5.2 per cent of the total," she noted.
Ms Karadenizli said there was a growing global consensus that violence against women and girls was a huge obstacle to overall sustainable development and growth that requires a coordinated collaborative approach to address multi-sectoral concern.
WiLDAF Director, Dr Judith Odunga, said that in these 16 days we stressed the importance of joint strength in ending violence against women and children in order to achieve the sustainable development goals of 2030.
"We would like to advise the government to improve infrastructure in schools as well as constructing proper toilets, dormitories, desks, transport and fence for the welfare of school children," she said.
Dr Odunga further said that the Ministry for Health in collaboration with Ministry for Constitution and Legal Affairs should go on drawing board to prepare legislation to control domestic violence and amend the Marriage Act of 1971.
It is estimated that 35 per cent of women worldwide have experienced either physical or sexual intimate partner violence or sexual violence by a non-partner at some point in their lives.
However, some national studies show that up to 70 per cent of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime
By Hilda Mhagama