Source: Daily News                                                                                                                                                                                                                Gender Based Violence (GBV) is a grave reality in the lives of many women and children. It is often directed against a person on the basis of gender and constitutes a breach of the fundamental right to life, liberty, security, dignity, equality between women and men, non-discrimination and physical and mental integrity.

Often GBV is inflicted by men on women and girls, resulting from gender norms and social and economic inequities that give privilege to men over women. However, there is a mounting recognition in Tanzania of gender discrimination and gender equity in different facets of life.

Such awakening, as acknowledged by a Gender and Public Health Specialist, Ms Myra Betron, includes a growing acknowledgement of how prevalent gender-based violence is and the ways and extent to which it harms not only women and girls but also men and boys and, furthermore, the country's developing economy and health and social welfare systems.

Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) such as Kilimanjaro Women Information Exchange and Consultancy Organization (KWIECO) have been out to raise awareness in the society, especially by targeting the vulnerable groups so as to reduce and ultimately eliminate the violence.

Towards that end thousands of people in Mwanga and Same districts have benefited from legal services offered by KWIECO. An official with the organisation, Mr Morice Venance, says that the centre is getting closer to their clients, especially the marginalized groups that cannot afford to pay for legal services offered by law firms.

He says they focus on GBV cases, most of which are caused by discrimination against women, low awareness on gender rights among the people, particularly on matters relating to marriage, inheritance and land ownership.

KWIECO Programme Officer in Support of GBV Victims, Angel Ottaru says the plan aims at providing protection to women and children in a manner that enhances their capacity to exercise their fundamental rights, improve their access to justice and allow an opportunity to find a purpose in life. Resettlement of victims of violence, development of skills, access to credit, educational support to children and other social services are its major components.

The counselling programme works in liaison with other organizations, for horizontal learning and also for referral purposes. One of the areas addressed by KWIECO was raising awareness among girls, educating them and in turn use them as ambassadors and activists against GBV issues.

From time to time, targeted were girls who were victims of GBV and young ones who are still at school, as a proactive move to ensure their safety as well as of their pals. KWIECO's Human Rights & Gender Education Officer, Ms Elizabeth Mushi and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Mr Peter Mashingia say the girls are now fully able to carry on the duty to impart education and awareness on others in their respective wards.

One of the girls is Mariam Mganga (29), from Same who dropped out of school while in Form II, nine years ago. She had a rough time, having been subjected to GBV by her former lover. She was denied reproductive health rights at her young age.

She had to abandon studies just two years after she joined secondary education, which is basic schooling, after she got pregnant. Mganga with the father of her child for only five years and called it quits, went back to her parents where she is still staying. She says the father of her child refused to provide childcare costs. "We could not get along with my partner so we separated after only five years.

I went back to my parents, " says Ms Mganga. Mganga is of the opinion that many girls are exposed to GBV due to lack of knowledge, such as education. Another school dropout who regrets missing secondary education is Amina Msuya (25), who hails from Mwanga. She became pregnant at age 17, while in Form II. The man behind her misery had denied he ever knew her.

"My father was not happy with me, so I had to stay with my aunt. My mother convinced by father to allow me to return home," says the cheerful girl. After she got KWIECO training, she consulted with village leaders who in turn, summoned her partner. The latter admitted he fathered Ms Msuya's child and promised to cover all expenses. However, that remain an empty promise.

Ms Msuya however, managed to go back to school and completed Form IV. She qualified for Form V but would not enrol as nobody was ready to pay school fees and other expenses. Esta Msuya (22), is not a school dropout or GBV victim, but is ready to join the KWIECO cause.

Msuya from Msangeni, Mwanga district, says it is very important for vulnerable people to get education on GBV and reproductive health rights so as to make sure all girls see it through to secondary and even university. She advises Ministry of Education and Vocational Training to develop a curriculum encompassing gender and reproductive health "KWIECO had done a lot here.

I appeal to the government to step in and do more at schools by establishing lessons that would open up children's minds and empower them tackle GBV acts," she says. Human Rights & Gender Education Officer at Kwieco, Ms Mushi says many girls are held back from getting formal education. In the training, girls were very open and would give instances of what their colleagues or themselves would do in as far as sex is concerned.

One of them believes that pregnancy can be prevented by a girl drinking cold water just after sex, claiming that had proved successful on several occasions for her. Others, though, many girls conceive but undergo abortion by using a traditional medicine - mvolo - meant to treat malaria and it is advised not to be consumed by expectant mothers.

Ms Mushi says in 1994, some 180 countries ratified agreement to raise awareness on wider spectrum so that more people understand it and engage in implementation, but to date few countries honour their pledges.

The young mothers and girls who have thus got the education on GBV and reproductive health rights are coaching others in wards such as Njoro, Mwanga, Lembeni, Stesheni, Mwanga Urban, Msangeni, and Shigatini.

Ms Mushi, however, says it is discouraging to see how pregnancy and dropouts are high in several schools. She attributes some of reasons as long distances between students' residences and schools while several schools do not have quality services.

The United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA) says around the world, as many as one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or abused in some other way - most often by someone she knows, including by her husband or another male family member; one woman in four has been abused during pregnancy.

• Tanzania