Revealed: Factors behind the brutal killing of women

Dar es Salaam. At least 2,400 women were murdered in Tanzania in the last five years, according to findings released by the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC).

The LHRC’s Femicide Study Report, includes reports shared by the office of the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI). The report was released during this year’s CSO Week held in Arusha from October 23 to 27.

Data from law enforcement agencies shows that 2,438 women were killed between 2018 and 2022, which is an average of 492 annually and 43 every month.

According to statistics compiled from January to September 2022, some 472 women were murdered during the period, representing an average of 53 killings every month.

The number is ten percent higher than an average of 43 women who were killed every month in the last five years.

The trend prompted LHRC to conduct a special study aimed at determining the magnitude and causes of femicide in Geita, Mwanza, Shinyanga, Kilimanjaro and Dar es Salaam regions.

The study established several contributing factors, including economic reasons, patriarchal values, mental health issues (MHI), jealousy, parental interference, poor parenting, as well as cultural and social norms.

Others were alcoholism and drug abuse, child marriages, witchcraft beliefs, witch-hunting, social stress and low awareness of policies, laws and procedures that are meant to safeguard women against violence.

The study analysed incidents in which 12 women were murdered and established that they were all engaged in economic activities and were economically independent.

“Economic capacity amidst male financial challenges, hence independence, led to inferiority complex among male spouses, creating tension that manifested itself in violence, leaving the relationship fragile,” says the report.

The document says family pressure prompted such victims to remain in dysfunctional relationships in order to protect family reputation.

This is because society perceives divorce as reflection of the inability of a family, specifically the mother, to properly raise a child.

On patriarchal values, respondents were of the opinion that in their attempts to acquire power and control, male perpetrators felt insecure to have a woman who was economically active.

“The economic freedom of women had resulted from intimidation by their spouses as an attempt to place them in a purportedly rightful position and thus reduce their power,” the sturdy says.

“Use of excessive force is meant to marginalise, reduce their self-esteem, silence and eventually control them. This bitterness and hatred eventually results in brutal killings.

“There is also parents’ interference in their children’s relationships, especially the tendency of using daughters as commodities and sources of income. This exposes such women to toxic relationships within and outside marriage,” the report says.

Culture and social norms also encourage tolerance of violence against women as divorce is considered a matter of shame, especially among women’s families.

“In some instances, police will not be ready to hear marital-related violence cases and will force victims to go back to their husbands and relatives despite the harm they have suffered.”

Regardless of sex, respondents were of the opinion that poor parenting was another major driver of femicide.

Excessive use of alcohol and drugs, especially bhang and khat, was another factor, according to the study.

Planned, child and intergenerational marriages, as well as witchcraft beliefs and witch-hunting in mining regions in Lake Zone regions were also causes of femicide.

The report quotes a local government leader saying, “People in the affected areas are silent, but they have many painful things going on in their lives...they prefer to keep them secret. However, they eventually resort to extreme violence, which leads to murder.”

The study recommends the formulation of compressive and specific laws on gender-based violence (GBV) and enactment of policies that will seek to prevent all forms of violence against women.

“The government should produce official national data on the number of women killed. It is essential to establish multi-disciplinary training, re-training and professionalisation programs for public servants involved in attending to and advising victims.

“It is also important to train the police, prosecutors and judges and eliminate discriminatory practices, cultural and material barriers, as well as messages that impede and obstruct the right of access to justice for women and girls,” the report says.

Clear and effective protocols for responding to domestic violence and femicide should be formulated and efforts made to ensure that they prioritise the safety and well-being of survivors.

The Judiciary should continue to establish specialised courts and identify specific judges to handle gender-based violence as well as train them in gender sensitivity, trauma-informed approaches and relevant laws.

Various other recommendations have been issued to other players, including the media and civil society organisations (CSOs).