Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation
A surge in reports of rape, torture and kidnapping of girls in Tanzania shows that the introduction of specialist units in police stations is giving survivors confidence to report these crimes, a senior official has said.

However, critics said police need to do more to secure prosecutions in the country where nearly one in three girls experiences sexual abuse before the age of 18, according to the United Nations children's fund.

They also stressed that the number of crimes reported represents only the tip of the iceberg as most victims of sexual violence do not speak up for fear of stigmatisation.

In Tanzania's main city, Dar es Salaam, there were 519 reports of violence against girls in the first nine months of this year - 67 percent higher than for the whole of 2013.

"These figures suggest that our desks have had a huge impact since abuse victims are now more willing to come forward and tell their stories without fear," Christine Onyango, the police officer in charge of gender and children's affairs, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

It is the first time Tanzania's government has released such data since it introduced 200 so-called Gender and Children's Desks last year, making it easier for survivors to report abuse to specially trained female officers.

Rape was the most common form of violence against girls, according to statistics published last week, with sharp increases in reports of all types of crimes.

Stepmothers were most frequently cited for torturing girls while kidnappings were carried out by unknown assailants for witchcraft or ransom.

The Tanzania Media Women's Association (TAMWA), which advocates for women's rights, called on the government to do more to secure prosecutions.

"If security organs and responsible ministries take action against perpetrators of such inhuman acts against children, the country will be a peaceful place to live," it said in a statement.

Happiness Bagambi, a programme officer with TAMWA, also called for members of the public to be educated on the preservation of evidence after sexual assaults.

"Very few people have the courage to take their raped children to police or hospital without (them) being bathed," she said. "The evidence is lost and, if the case proceeds, ends up nowhere."

• Tanzania