Leave No One Behind: End Violence against Women and Girls
News
27 November 2017
Leave No One Behind: End Violence against Women and Girls
Starting today, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and running until the 10th December (the International Human Rights Day), the "16 Days of Activism" is an annual global campaign to end gender violence. The 16 days are an opportunity to highlight the ongoing problem of violence against women and girls – one of the most systemic and widespread violations of human rights – and to advocate for changes at the national and global level to counter the unequal power relations and patriarchal norms that allow this abuse to perpetuate. In Tanzania, women and girls continue to be subjected to physical, psychological, and sexual violence, across all walks of life, culture, income and class. Recent data tells us that almost 40% of women have experienced physical violence, and one in five women have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime. Gender based violence prevent women and girls from reaching their potential as productive members of society, and are a barrier to their full and active participation in public life. Addressing these issues of Gender-Based Violence is at the heart of the international campaign of 16 Days of Activism.
©Embassy of Ireland
Each year the Embassy engages actively in events and campaigns with our partners in Tanzania aimed at ending gender violence. This year will be no different. The theme for this year is "Leave No One Behind: End Violence against Women and Girls." Across the sectors that Ireland is engaging in, we unfortunately continue to see women and girls at risk of being left behind. The ongoing practice of child marriage continues to pose a threat to girls' health, education and even their lives. Currently in Tanzania, almost two out of five girls in Tanzania are married before their 18th birthday. Often this means that they are compelled to stop their education. Studies also show that there is a higher risk of pregnancy related deaths amongst girls and teenagers. Gender-based violence also poses a significant barrier to Tanzania's industrial growth and development, as it impacts upon women's earnings and their productivity. A recent study shows that 97.2% of women traders experience verbal abuse in the marketplace thus limiting the number of women participating in trading activities.
©Embassy of Ireland
As an Embassy we are working with Tanzanian partners to try and ensure that no women and girls are left behind. Over the coming 16 days our Ambassador and members of our team will participate in national events as well as programmes organised by Tanzanian civil society, aimed at building awareness on the need for further action to combat violence against women. We will also organise a series of internal Embassy events to discuss and build awareness amongst our team on the issues in focus during the 16 days. This engagement is complimented by ongoing funding that we are providing to local partners through Irish Aid, to support advocacy for the amendment of the Marriage Act (1971), to strengthen the capacity of Community Health Workers, to support community level interventions on gender based violence protection and prevention, and to help increase the participation of women economic activities that are higher up value chains.
©Embassy of Ireland
To see more of what we are doing and what is happening in Tanzania follow us on Twitter at: @IrlEmbTanzania or using the hashtags: #ZuiaUkatili #16days
©Embassy of Ireland