Speech by Staffan Herrström, Ambassador of Sweden, at Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) seminar on International Human Rights Day Thursday December 10th 2009
Dear friends,
If you ask a Swede what is special with December 10th he or she would almost certainly say: the Nobel price ceremony. Yes it is. But in a global context it is more than that. An extremely important day for us all – and not least for European Union where Sweden right now holds the Presidency.
We are celebrating the International Human Rights Day. A day devoted to the theme given the highest priority by EU here in Dar es Salaam this last year. It is an honour to celebrate it here with you.
I am sorry I am late. I had a previous engagement to attend a session on children’s rights and specifically on pregnant school girls right to education. The problem of pregnant school girls being expelled from schools is very much related to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Of girls’ right to know about sexuality so they can protect themselves. Of girls’ right to say no. Of girls’ right to decide over their own bodies. Of girls’ rights to demand the use of condom. Of girls’ right to deal with boys respecting girls’ rights.
These rights does not materialise over night. And much of the problem lies in the dramatically unequal power relations between men and women – and even more between men and girls. But knowing that this is the reality, it is difficult to understand how the idea of punishing girls for early pregnancies still can be so widespread. Just as an illustration: Around 40% of all women having had their first sexual experience before 15 years describe it as forced. 40 percent. And these are children! Building a decent society starts there: With girls’ rights. I look forward to the reentry policy now being prepared by Government as well as more measures aimed at prevention and at gender equality.
Raising the marriage age for women to 18 years is a related important measure that needs to be taken seriously in order to protect girls from entering into sexual relationships too early with negative consequences for their future.
To come back to this seminar today, it is clear that Tanzania faces many challenges in promoting and protecting human rights. The Legal and Human Rights Centre is doing very important work in following the situation for human rights in the country, raising issues in the debate and taking strategic cases to court. The annual report of the LHRC is worth reading again and again since it contains reports on a wide number of important issues from killings of people with albinism and mob justice to human right violations during evictions of pastoralists, domestic violence and lethal force by police.
It is easy to become overwhelmed by the number of human rights issues that need attention. But seeing the challenges it is also important to note the progress that has been made.
The open debate on human rights is a positive development in Tanzania as well as the cooperation of various organisations in civil society in following up and raising debate on sensitive issues such as human right concerns surrounding violent evictions of pastoralists in Loliondo. Public debate is important to address human rights issues and the media plays a key role. I believe a Right to Information Act and stronger legislation protecting media freedom would be essential steps not only to protect the right to freedom of expression but also to strengthen respect for all other rights. Actually, the Right to Information is a much too often neglected human right. Still it is key in the fight to improve governance and combat corruption all over the world.
One of the strengths of the Legal and Human Rights Centre is the presence of the human rights monitors and paralegals across the country. This strength is also evident in the report from the local elections which I have read with great interest. I was impressed to see that almost 100 election monitors travelled to 20 regions and visited close to 100 districts. You have done a tremendous job that gives us a coherent and clear account of the local election process.
The Local Government Elections Report highlights several flaws in the election process such as very limited election campaigning, almost no awareness raising activities, too short time for voter registration, administrative shortcomings and examples of corruption. These flaws need to be addressed in order to achieve higher voter turn out in local elections. The low turn out is an issue to take most seriously since participation is at the core of democracy. Without widespread participation in elections as well as in public debate, democracy cannot grow and develop.
It is my hope that this report shall be read very carefully by Tanzanian politicians as well as the institutions involved in elections and organisations in civil society so that the learning that this report contributes to can be taken as a basis for improved future elections. Congratulations to all monitors who contributed to make the report!
Thank you!