Violence Against Women and Girls in Tanzania

The United Nations defines violence against women (VAW) as: "….any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivations of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.[1]” The definition of violence as being gender-based is to emphasise that violence has its roots in the subordinate role that women have in society; “Gender based violence is violence that is directed at a woman because she is a woman, or affects women disproportionately.”[2]

The right to live free violence is fundamental human rights. In Tanzania, violence against women and girls including domestic violence, rape, sexual harassment, female genital mutilation (which is carried out in 15 of the 21 regions on mainland Tanzania with varies rates of intensity) and trafficking within the family is an urgent problem. Newspapers reporting on rape against women and girls are becoming a matter of routine. Recently, the Kiswahili newspaper, Tumaini Letu wrote “vitendo vya ubakaji na kulawiti vimekuwa vya kawaida kwani kila uamkapo utavisikia na kuvisoma kwenye vyombo vya habari” [3] translating rape and sodomy cases are turning to be very routine due to the fact each time you wake up you hear [about them] and read [about them] in newspapers. In November 2007, the Kiswahili newspaper Majira reported rape cases against women and girls that happened in Mwanza and Mara regions. In Mwanza (Ukerewe district, Mwasonzi village), Shida Jackson a young woman of 25 years old was raped to death and a 6 metre piece of wood was forced into her. In Mara (Bunda, district, Bitaraguru village) a young girl of less than 17 years was raped and strangled to death. Further, in Singida, (Ilongilo village) two young girls from the same family, Twaiba (13) and Zulfa (7) were both raped and sodomized to death. The rate of rape cases both reported and unreported is raising lots of fears and concern in Tanzania. Moreover, it could be argued that the reported cases are just a fraction of what is really happening.

“Violence against women persists in every country in the world as a pervasive violation of human rights and a major impediment to achieving gender equality. Such violence is unacceptable, whether perpetrated by the state or its agents or members, stranger, in the public or private sphere, in peacetime or in times of conflict…as long as such violence continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and peace.”

[1] United Nations, General Assembly Resolution 48/104. Dec. 1993

[2] United Nations (UNHCR) quoted in Irin News, Our Bodies, Their Battleground, article available at http://www.irinnews.org/webspecials/GBV/default.asp

[3] Tumaini Letu of 10-25.10.07