In Tanzania, one in two women experience some form of violence—emotional, physical and/or sexual, at the hands of a spouse. Almost 75% of children under the age of 18 have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence.
However, most cases of violence are not reported, since violence is widely accepted as a reality of the culture.
A baseline study conducted by Equitas and our partner TUSONGE in 2015, in three communities in the Kilimanjaro region, confirmed that violence against women, children and youth in the home and in public spaces is a major barrier to their participation in decision-making that affects their lives.
The voices of women, children and youth are not heard in their communities or in their homes.
Advancing Equality Through Human Rights Education in Tanzania
The project aim to increase empowerment of women and girls to advance gender equality in their communities. The goal for tomorrow is to :
- Strengthen leadership for women and men to mobilize their communities
- Enhance collaboration among women’s and human rights groups
- Improve efforts of women’s organizations to engage with decision-makers
The situation today
In Tanzania, many efforts are being made to protect people’s basic human rights. Yet inequalities exist, especially for women and girls:
- Sexual violence against women and children remains prevalent
- Pregnant girls and young mothers are often denied an education
- Women are usually not involved in decision making regarding household income
Our approach
The Project adopts a participatory approach to advance gender equality that includes:
KNOWLEDGE AND CAPACITY-BUILDING
- Training on human rights and gender equality
- Community initiatives and forums
COLLABORATION
- Awareness-raising campaigns
- Support to networks and coalitions
ENGAGEMENT WITH DECISION-MAKERS
- Training on engagement with decision-makers
- Training for decision-makers
- A policy dialogue
Program Brochure
English
Swahili
Learn more about our work in Tanzania
The planning and implementation of the Advancing Equality through Human Rights Education program is done in cooperation with the target communities in Tanzania. Thus, community members have been consulted and have themselves outlined the most pressing gender equality issues in their communities through data collection conducted by Equitas and its local partners during the baseline study. The data collected were subsequently shared back to the communities and validated by them as truly reflecting the issues they had raised. Through human rights education, Equitas will provide them the tools and skills needed to achieve the desired change.
Our partners
Equitas works in Tanzania with TUSONGE.
Our work in Tanzania is part of Advancing Equality Through Human Rights Education project, funded by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada (GAC).
