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Kivulini Strategic Direction, Message from Board of Directors

Our Development Partners

Kivulini Approach to Preventing   Domestic Violence

Violence Against Women Situation      

Kivulini Stakeholders

Brief: International Women's Day

Implementation of Policy and Law

The Tanzanian government has signed and ratified UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).  This document recognizes the injustices women experience and emphasizes women’s rights to non-discrimination, education and opportunities, political participation, employment and health.  Signing the CEDAW requires that Tanzanian government regularly report on the steps taken to protect women’s rights in their territory.

 The experience of Kivulini and other organizations working towards human rights issues indicates that there is a huge disparity between having the laws in place and ensuring that they reach the majority of the population both in the rural and urban.  For example, SOSPA and other laws that provide for equitable rights for women and men are not well disseminated[1].  In addition, SOSPA remains silent on specifically addressing domestic violence.  According to LHRC, section 5 of the Act does not provide for the crime of rape if the victim is married to her attacker and not separated from him at the time.

 All in all, legislation is the first step toward ending domestic violence.  It serves to show that the state is concerned about the protection of its citizen’s rights and ensures that measures to defend these rights, including the allocation of necessary resources for the same are made.  However, on its own, legislation is ineffective and perhaps even insignificant.  For it to serve the intended purpose, legislation must be implemented.  Secondly, the implementation of the laws has to be monitored.  This can be achieved through periodic evaluations of the law’s application.

 It is imperative that while policy makers are addressing themselves to new legislations, they also address prevention and not just leave it at the hands of non-governmental organizations, as is the trend.  Government too must come out strongly to promote a culture of change while also ending the scourge of domestic violence within the community.  As a required first step, the national government needs to provide financial and other resources to local governmental structures so that issues of Violence Against Women can be prevented and immediately addressed at local levels through public awareness, training and monitoring.