Source: Tanzania Daily News
WHEN one attends a meeting where women activists and politicians convene, there is something that becomes evident.

Despite their positions in society, their affiliations to political parties and their religious or social backgrounds, women speak with one voice when it comes to their rights.

Over a week ago when I was invited to cover a workshop for Constituent Assembly (CA) women members at Dodoma Hotel, I was impressed when I saw the delegates putting their hands together as they sang a song that promotes their rights.

The list of attendants included, among others, Deputy Minister for Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Ms Anjela Kairuki, Deputy Minister for Community Development, Gender and Children, Ms Pindi Chana and Deputy Minister in the Office of the President (Good Governance) - Ms Umi Ali Mwalimu.

Speaking at the meeting, a CA member Beatrice Shelukindo insisted that choosing when and who to marry is one of life's most important decisions that a girl should make. "As United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) insists, such the decision to marry should be freely made and should be an informed decision that is taken without fear, coercion or undue pressure because that is supposed to be an adult decision, when ready, as an adult," she says.

According to Ms Shelukindo, any marriage carried out below the age of 18 years before the girl is physically, psychologically to bear the responsibilities of marriage and child bearing should be discouraged.

According to the UNFPA officer, Mrs Christine Mwanukuzi- Kwayu, Tanzania has one of the highest child marriage prevalence rates in the world and on average, almost two out of five girls are married before their 18th birthday.

Mrs Kwayu told the CA members that about 37 per cent of the women aged 20-24 are married before the age of 18, insisting that child marriage affects girls and women because women on average get married more than five years earlier than men in Tanzania.

"As you may know, the Law of Marriage Act (1971) allows boys to marry at 18 and girls to marry at 15 and they can marry at 14 if courts approve their request," she said. According to a research done by UNFPA, Shinyanga Region leads with the highest number of child marriage by 59 per cent.

Other regions and their percentages are Tabora (58), Mara (55), Dodoma (51), Lindi (48) and Mbeya 45 45 per cent. Others are Morogoro (42), Singida(42), Rukwa (40), Ruvuma (39), Mwanza(37) and Kagera 36 per cent. The list also includes Mtwara (35), Manyara (34), Coast (33), Tanga (29), Arusha (27), Kilimanjaro (27), Kigoma (26), Dar es Salaam 19 and Iringa only 8 per cent.

Child marriage occurs more frequently in regions where girls are the least educated, poorest and living in rural areas. This is vividly demonstrated in Shinyanga Region where girls are forced into early marriages to make their parents rich because they receive a good number of cows as dowry.

The UNFPA data say that 61 per cent of women aged 20- 24 with no education and 39 per cent with primary education are married or in union at the age of 18 compared to only 5 per cent of women with secondary education. The report also says that gender inequality lowers a girl's and woman's ability to make decisions related to her education and health, but also when and who to marry.

The UNFPA report also says that married women in Tanzania have less control of their lives than married men do, as it is alleged that two out of five married women do not participate in decision making regarding their own health care. In Mara Region, for example, 8 per cent of women participate in household decision-making while in Kilimanjaro Region the figure goes to 64 per cent.

According to Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA) Executive Director, Ms Valerie Msoka, the society should combat different forms of gender violence after a recent research found out that there were gaps in the reporting system of gender violence.

According to Ms Msoka, the Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey of 2010 shows that about 10 per cent of women between the ages of 15-49 report their first sexual intercourse was forced and that 48 per cent of married women reported experiencing sexual violence.

Ms Msoka says that GBV is increasing because there is no political will to address underlying social problems and the new Katiba should have a provision saying something about such kinds of violence. "Fighting GBV is still not a strategic priority in many programmes, therefore it is hard to fight attitudes that sustain such problems," she says.

Speaking in Dodoma recently, Ms Msoka said the battle against gender violence faces challenges including ignorance of potential victims of the violence and lack of a holistic approach to solve the problems. She urged people in areas susceptible to child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM) and other social maladies to collect and present evidence so that the cases are prosecuted in court.

"We need to enlighten the people on how to record statements to the police. Experience shows that most parents and relatives of GBV victims shy away from giving evidence in court," she said. Gender based violence is a grave reality in the lives of women and girls.

Government data shows that such violence is caused by social and economic inequalities that give privilege to men over women. According to a baseline survey carried out by TAMWA to establish the status of gender based violence in several districts recently, lack of awareness and the existing gaps in the reporting system are some of the factors contributing to the increase in gender related violence in the country.

UNFPA reports underscore the importance of fighting domestic and sexual violence because girls are more likely to experience violence, abuse or force sexual relations. Girls who marry and give birth before their bodies are fully developed are more at risk of maternal mortality and morbidity.

The reports insist that child marriages should be avoided because married girls between the ages of 15 and 24 are more likely to be HIV positive than unmarried counterparts. This is because many young brides cannot negotiate safe sex even when they have knowledge about how to protect themselves and are under pressure to demonstrate their fertility.

"Teenage pregnancy and motherhood are more common among young women living in rural areas and those from poorer families. Child brides are unable to cope with married life because at their young age they are not well prepared to handle family matters," says the report.

But it should be noted that child marriage is against Article 16(2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.

• Tanzania