Today is the "International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women" and the first day of the "16 Days of Action against Gender Violence Campaign". The right to live violence free is a fundamental human right denied to many women and girls living in areas where gender based violence (GBV)is endemic. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), among women between the ages of 15 and 44, acts of violence cause more death and disability than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war combined.
In Tanzania, 1 in 3 women have at some point been physically and/or sexually abused by their partner. In a society where women have traditionally been considered to be inferior to men, acts of GBV, including intimate partner violence and rape, can be seen as normal and acceptable. In typical "blame the victim" fashion, women and girls are often blamed for causing or provoking GBV. Blame and shame prevent women and girls from speaking out, reporting to authorities and seeking treatment and support for GBV. The situation is worse in rural areas due to lack of access to information and distance from services.
During our first participatory baseline exercise in rural communities in Karatu, GBV raised its ugly head most often in the form of "marital rape". While preparing the “Activity Profile” -- an endless list of their daily activities from early morning to bedtime --women described the “husband regime” at the end of the day. Exhausted by arduous physical activity with no time to rest, the "husband's regime" was the last demand required of them before they could finally go to sleep. During our most recent partipatory baseline exercise in Bunda District, GBV in the form of "household conflict" appeared on the Seasonal Calendar as a routine "activity" that occurred in the time period immediately following harvest.
GBV is a major obstacle to women's "empowerment" and the achievement of gender equality, a central goal of CPAR Tz's work to improve Household Food Security. We therefore tackled the issue right at the beginning by incorporating GBV in our Farmer Field School (FFS) curriculum along with Human Rights, Gender Equality and Sexual and Reproductive Health issues. For example, we'd be standing with FFS women and men in the middle of a farmer's field, examining the crops, and raise the subject of domestic violence. Farmers, men especially, began to make the link between violence against women and women unable to concentrate to work productively in the fields.
Last year we went back to our first community in Karatu to take a closer look at the impact of our approach. Through household questionnaires, focus group discussions and interviews with farmers and leaders we learned that there had been a dramatic shift in gender relations and the position of women in both the household and the community. Village leaders reported that women were speaking out in community meetings and asserting their right to equal control over household resources. Farmer Field School women and men reported that next to an increased year round food supply, greater self-confidence, improved relationships between husbands and wives, and a marked decrease in household conflict were the most important changes that had occurred as a result of the project. Greatly encouraged by these results, we are committed to continuing to keep gender issues including GBV front and centre in everything we do.
We talked about Violence against Women at UMATU's weekly meeting today, and they brought up lots of examples in Karatu such as FGM (female genital mutilation), wife-beating, discrimination against widows, etc. We will be campaigning together over the next few weeks, engaging women and men in discussions on human rights and GBV, and UMATU specifically will be addressing the link between GBV and HIV& AIDS.
“Our goal is clear: an end to these inexcusable crimes - whether it is the use of rape as a weapon of war, domestic violence, sex trafficking, so-called “honour” crimes or female genital mutilation/cutting. We must address the roots of this violence by eradicating discrimination and changing the mindsets that perpetuate it.”
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Message for the International Day for the
Elimination of Violence against Women
25 November 2009
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