Violence against Girls

Women's Rights Organisation

Violence against Girls

The international human rights community recognizes the girl-child as especially vulnerable to rights violations. In its ‘Girl-Child Diagnosis’, the United Nations’ Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing 1995) articulated the numerous obstacles faced by young girls including harmful attitudes and practices (e.g., female genital mutilation, early and child marriage, teenage pregnancies, sexual violence and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS, trafficking, sexual exploitation, etc.)

In Tanzania, violence in the family also severely impacts the live of 76% of 1.2 million girl children in domestic labour.[1] The majority range in age from 6 to 15 years [2] trafficked from rural areas to urban centers. Girls in domestic labour are frequently sexually harassed. Many young girls and especially, house-girls have their first sexual experience in situations such as this. It is not surprising then that “up to one-third of young girls report their first sexual experience being forced”.[3] Due to their inexperience and subordinate role in the household, many house-girls are forced into unprotected sex that results in early pregnancies and HIV infection.

Often, household males (including sons, fathers, and male neighbours) force house-girls into sex, based on a belief that house-girls are not infected with sexually transmitted diseases including HIV. It is believed males in the homes prefer these young girls due to the fact that there are no or very minimal expenses for paying them off for sex. Once pregnant, girls are usually chased out of their domestic work place into the streets or back to their villages. It is reported that approximately 25% of these end up in commercial sex work[4] due to economic violence they face from their employers. Furthermore, house-girls often face additional types of abuses including physical abuse, emotional torture, working around the clock, having less to eat, etc. These acts turn house-girls into domestic slaves.

[1] Kivulini (2004) Study

[2] Kivulini experience, confirmed by ILO/IPEC, 2000; Kibuga, 2000 and Mapunda, 2001 all quoted from UNICEF 2006, page 12.

[3] GBV Prevention Network 2007, p.1

[4] ILO/IPEC 2004

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