One third of all women in urban areas and one fifth in rural areas in Tanzania are victims of violence. By men.
These are the best figures available. They are probably underestimates because most such crimes go unreported. Certainly the statistics should be improved and be made more exact. But even more important is to move beyond the figures, to realise that they reflect the horrible realities of fear, intimidation and pain in the everyday life of thousands and thousands of individual women and girls.
And most important to take action. To change the power relations and mindsets making some men believe that they have the right to beat women – and making some women believe that this is something that is a natural part of married life; something that they are expected to live with daily.
The United Nations has designated this day, November 25th, to be the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It is a shocking reality that an international day has been designated to raise awareness on such an issue, a scourge that touches women and girls in all seven continents of the world.
Whilst the overall picture may seem bleak, it is nevertheless encouraging to see that in Tanzania increasing efforts are being made under the leadership of President Kikwete and Minister Sitta, Minister of Gender. Last year they launched the National “Say No to Violence against Women” campaign. One year on, and some progress has been made, not least in sensitising the police force to take care of abused women and to address their needs. But it is not enough, and will not be enough until this violence is eliminated completely.
As Ambassadors for the European Union (the present Swedish Presidency, the incoming Spanish Presidency and the European Commission) we are dedicated supporters of this fight. We are also part of a process where the European Union as a whole is energising its efforts to contribute to gender equality with concrete actions - foreseen also here in Tanzania in close cooperation with all stakeholders: government, NGO gender networks and other development partners.
And being men we want to challenge all men, not least men with power and influence in Tanzania, to radically energise our efforts – collective as well as individual – to making change a reality. We should add, that in our own countries in Europe, men are not always angels. We have work to do in Europe too.
There are some key messages we all should be conveying, some golden rules that we all should promote in all possible contexts to change attitudes and to bring this form of discrimination to an end.
First and foremost, it is our belief that unequal power relations giving women a subordinate place in society and family are detrimental for men also and for society as a whole. Or formulated differently: Empowering women is advantageous for the whole society. More creative capacity is unlocked. Better informed decisions are taken. Educated mothers – and fathers – raise healthier children. Obviously equality should also mean the end of early marriages, early pregnancies – and the end of the expulsion of pregnant girls from education.
Secondly: Research indicates that much violence against women and girls relates to decisions taken by women to refuse sex. Rape is an extremely serious violation of a human being’s integrity. It can leave trauma and psychological disturbance that may last a lifetime. But much too often it is treated as a minor offence by the legal authorities. Paltry fines and punishments are given, with often the rape victims having to suffer additional humiliation and trauma when giving evidence in court. It is not surprising that many rapes within marriage go unnoticed. And within marriage it is not even prohibited in Tanzania. We recognise that this is a difficult and sensitive issue, but this legal loophole surely ought to be addressed .
Thirdly: Stop beating children, both boys and girls. It is cruel and it nurtures an atmosphere of violence. Extensive research in Europe and elsewhere has proven that beating does not work. Indeed it may even exacerbate the problem and cause the child to bear the marks for many years after. There are so many better ways to address the problem of indiscipline than the use of violence. Prohibit corporal punishment in schools is an obvious answer.
Fourthly: Experience in Tanzania and elsewhere shows that there is a strong linkage between violent behaviour and abuse of alcohol. Less drinking means fewer victims of violence – fewer women and children beaten, abused and killed.
Fifthly: Beating other human beings is a criminal offence and must be treated like that. The practice of impunity for the offenders, treating violence and even rape against women and children as family business, must be broken. This means training more community leaders and police to address the issue. It means recruiting more police women with specialised skills. It requires communities to come together to discuss such matters. It needs the development of counselling skills. It means adapting education given to children to allow them to learn about these issues. It means changes in attitudes in the law enforcement agencies and the courts, whose own staff must become role models for the rest of the community. We recognise, this is not an easy task. But it needs to be done.
And sixthly: Support the establishment of shelters for abused women. Sometimes they need to find a safe haven to get away from the perpetrators of violence. Give them a chance to find support and recover. Once again, we repeat, in Europe we do not have all the answers, but there are many innovative ideas that are being tried that could perhaps be replicated in Tanzania.
Domestic violence is rampant in many countries. It is certainly a serious problem also in Europe. Many men, in our home countries as well as here, need to change. Not only this single day but the other 364 as well - to make the very basic right to a life free from violence a reality for all women and girls , in Tanzania as well as in the EU.
Staffan HerrströmAmbassador of Sweden, EU-Presidency
Juan Manuel González de LinaresAmbassador of Spain Tim ClarkeAmbassador, Head of Delegation of European Commission