Invest to Prevent Gender Based Violence: 16 Days of Activism 2023 “Tutembee Pamoja Kupambana na Ukatili wa Kijinsia”
Gender Based Violence (GBV) is among the leading global violations of human rights and poses an immense challenge to gender equality and the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Social Institution and Gender Index (SIGI) report for Tanzania (2022), shows that over half of all women in Tanzania have suffered from at least one form of violence in their lifetime, ranging from intimate partner violence, sexual violence and exploitation, female genital mutilation, early marriage and teenage pregnancy. Child marriage remains high with rates varying significantly across regions and between urban and rural areas, going as high as 37% in some locations.
Ireland recognises GBV as one of the most significant barriers to women’s empowerment and participation in Tanzania, exacerbated by harmful legal, cultural and religious norms that limit women’s access to resources and decision-making power.
In Tanzania, the Embassy supports targeted and tailored prevention of GBV through community-level interventions alongside comprehensive response services for survivors. By channelling resources to community level and collaborating with a range of partners including government, the UN system, civil society organisations and academia, our goal is to support inclusive grassroots action for gender equality and to provide a platform for diverse voices. We focus on four geographical areas in particular: Dodoma, Kigoma, Tanga and Zanzibar.
In Tanga, the Embassy supports UZIKWASA and Femina Hip to implement programmes in response to the discriminatory social norms that perpetuate GBV, and to increase sexual and reproductive health information and services to adolescents, both in and out of school, in Pangani and Muheza Districts respectively. Through these programmes we have seen an increase in the number of people reporting GBV cases to relevant authorities, but also many groups coming together to challenge stereotypes and harmful practices that perpetuate violence against women and children - including community facilitators, motorbike drivers (bodaboda), police representatives, teachers, youth champions, parents and local leaders.
The Embassy also supports Bahari Mali, a 3-year programme being implemented by our partner IUCN in the Tanga-Pemba seascape. Bahari Mali focuses on the empowerment of coastal women and youth in the blue economy sector. To date, 10 community start-up groups, led by women, have achieved significant success through the Blue Economy Incubator (BEI) component of the programme, by creating jobs and increasing incomes whilst simultaneously improving levels of conservation. The programme also nurtures leadership among young women and men, providing essential skills and funding, so that they can in turn foster environmental protection and contribute to sustainable economic growth in their own communities.
Lastly, in partnership with Teagasc (Ireland’s Agriculture and Food Development Authority) and the Tanzania Livestock Research Institute (TALIRI), the Embassy supports Maziwa Faida, an institutional partnership and action research programme for the dairy sector in Tanzania. The long-term aim of Maziwa Faida is to deliver farmer-friendly and innovative solutions for a more resilient, profitable and climate resilient dairy sector. Its central focus is on smallholder farmers – particularly female farmers – and establishing a clear evidence base for climate-friendly solutions.
In commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence 2023, the Embassy collaborated with two of our Tanga partners - UZIKWASA and Femina Hip – to jointly organise a regional community event in Muheza District, entitled “Tutembee pamoja kupambana na ukatili wa kijinsia” (“Let’s walk together to address GBV”). The objective of this event was to highlight community-level initiatives in preventing and responding to GBV in Tanga. Stakeholders from different parts of the region joined together to share knowledge and experiences on what works to address GBV, through an interactive dialogue session in the morning, and concluding with a public event in the afternoon. The dialogue was attended by a wide range of community members, service providers and local government representatives, where detailed strategies for preventing and responding to GBV were discussed. The afternoon session focused on awareness creation with the general public to take actions individually and collectively against GBV, with high-level guests listening to voices and experiences from the community.
Speaking at the event, Tanzania’s Minister of Health, Honourable Ummy Mwalimu, commended the community and event organisers alike for their collective commitment to eliminating GBV, and in their response to the theme of this year’s campaign to “invest” in order to protect women and children. She underscored the importance of coordination between criminal justice actors in delivering quality and timely services to the GBV survivors, as well as the central role of medical practitioners in order to investigate GBV cases systematically.
Youth representatives presented their call to action from the community dialogue session to the Minister, the Irish Ambassador HE Mary O’Neill, and government officials in attendance. They reaffirmed the need for mutual learning and support to combat GBV in all its forms, and emphasised that deliberate efforts are required - particularly from those in leadership positions – to break the silence that still persists around GBV and to challenge harmful stereotypes and practices that perpetuate it. They urged the government and development partners to further strengthen the capacity of criminal justice institutions and actors in order to comprehensively respond to GBV when it occurs, including the provision of legal services for GBV survivors alongside effective coordination and referral mechanisms.
Congratulations to the community of Muheza, and the wider Tanga region, for being host of this year’s important event highlighting the need for consistent and collective action to end GBV – not just for these 16 Days of Activism, but every day of the year!