Source: Tanzania Daily News
IT happened in the middle of the night at Segerea, Ilala District in Dar es Salaam when the entire neighbourhood was dead silent.

People suspected that a burglar had broken into the house of their neighbour, so they switched on their lights to scare off any intruder. However, they were surprised to learn that they had been wrong, totally wrong.

The deafening screams of a woman which woke them up stemmed from a fight between "Aneth George and her husband" Eddy Ryan over a long time dispute involving late coming at night. Eddy had knocked on the main door at around 2.30am but nobody had responded.

He was so furious that he attempted to break the lock when Aneth rushed to open it and a fight ensued. She was kicked and slapped. When the neighbours arrived to rescue her, she had already suffered a broken jaw. "This is a shame happening only two days after we marked the International Women's Day.

Couples can argue but should not inflict injury on each other," said Stephen Chambua, one of the neighbours. "The police must be called. Is this woman really safe in this house? We can help her get treatment at the dispensary but would that be all?

The incident must be reported," said Nesta Singo, another neighbour. Before people made a decision to disperse, a ten cell leader was asked to have a word with Eddy the following day, so that he could express their fury at what he had done.

"Please give him our message: Next time he batters his wife, we will not spare him. We will teach him a lesson he's yet to learn," said a young man, before disappearing into a single room he rents nearby. Later on of course, word went around that Aneth had consulted with her parents on whether she should leave her two daughters and walk out on her husband or whether she should seek a court action on such a delicate issue; continuous battery by a ruthless husband.

Whichever solution she chooses, the fact is that there are many similar cases of domestic violence that need intervention to help change a situation that denies women happiness in their marriages. When dealing with marital problems, it is worth noting that women are realizing more and more that just like their male counterparts, they deserve respect and when it comes to human rights, both of them share these norms.

The landmark declaration, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948, states that: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights" and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language..."

This is one of the oldest declarations of human rights which has helped articulate the rights to women (and girls) in whatever situations they find themselves in.

In recognizing the fact women and girls need support, counselling and guidance, on domestic violence and issues of empowerment, the Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA) teamed up with TAWLA, TGNP, CRC and Zanzibar Female Lawyers (ZAFELA) to inspire women in Gender Equality & Women Empowerment Programme (GEWE II) in selected regions and districts.

These are Dar es Salaam, Coast, Morogoro, Lindi, Mtwara and Zanzibar. The programme seeks to empower women and educate them on what to do when faced with delicate issues in the family, like domestic violence. Alongside the programme, other efforts continue to give hope to women.

During the International Women's Day on March 8, 2014 whose theme was Inspiring Change, equality and dignity have been the baseline. "Women's equality has made positive gains but the world is still unequal. International Women's Day celebrates the social, political and economic achievements of women while focusing world attention on areas requiring further action," says a message from International Women's Day.

The message encourages advocacy for women's advancement everywhere in every way. It calls for challenging the status quo for women's equality and vigilance, inspiring positive change. Other various themes include, Equality for women is progress for all."

"No country in the world has achieved equality between women and men or girls and boys and violations of the rights of women and girls are an outrage," says says Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nations Under-Secretary- General and Executive Director of UN Woman. "Countries with more gender equality have better economic growth. Companies with more women leaders perform better.

Peace agreements that include women are more durable. Parliaments with more women enact more legislations on key social issues such as health, education, anti-discrimination and child support," says UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki moon in his message for this year's Women's Day.

• Tanzania