Prime
Three ministries join forces to end child abuse
The meeting’s chairman, Mr. Simbachawene, (Prime Minister’s Office - Policy, Parliament and Coordination) stated that they needed to move rapidly to make provisions before schools reopen. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Cases of violence against children, particularly in schools, have risen sharply in 2022 despite several attempts to end this problem
Dar es Salaam. Cases of violence against children, particularly in schools, have risen sharply in 2022 despite several attempts to end this problem. This has prompted the development of new strategies to battle such atrocities head-on in 2023.
In their efforts to combat violence against children, the ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the ministry of State in the Office of the Prime Minister responsible for Policy, Parliament and Coordination together with the ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special groups have agreed to work together to find a long-term solution.
The ministers, Dr. Dorothy Gwajima (Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups), Prof Adolf Mkenda (Education) and George Simbachawene (Prime Minister’s Office - Policy, Parliament and Coordination) met on Wednesday at the University of Dar es Salaam where The meeting’s chairman, Mr Simbachawene, stated that they had to meet because certain laws and policies (he did not name them) that exist in those ministries needed to be urgently reviewed.
He added that the government had given the matter particular consideration and that as a result, it had decided to move rapidly to make provisions before the schools re-open early next year.
A recent study by HakiElimu found that 87.9 percent of kids have ever been the victim of physical assault of some kind.
The 2021 study, titled; The State of Violence Against School Children in Tanzania Mainland, shows that 42.8 percent (46.3 percent male and 40.7 percent female) of the school children who acknowledged being sexually abused said they experienced it at school.
Prof Mkenda said the ministry he oversees is legally obligated to assist in keeping students safe from harm by offering them a variety of suggestions.
“Instead of relying just on the Education Commissioner’s Guide, it is preferable now to consult with experts from other pertinent ministries to determine where the deficiencies are and then to supply information. This unity and cooperation seeks to assist us strengthen our strength,” said Prof Mkenda.
For her part, Dr. Gwajima expressed her gratitude for everyone’s cooperation in the battle against violence, giving the fact that 11,499 children were victims of violence in 2021, including rape, sexism and other getting pregnant.“Less than 15% of those who reported such cases are these individuals. When you consider the scope of the issue and the fact that not all of them are reporting, you can see why we must band together to find a solution,” she explained to The Citizen.
According to Mr Simbachawene, he has already given the permanent secretaries of the three ministries instructions to guarantee that specialists create short-term and long-term strategies for the ministers and stakeholders to debate.
Additionally, Mr Simbachawene gave orders for all concerned ministers to convene on January 4, 2023, to review the plans made and the viewpoints presented, and to formulate suggestions that would be sent to the prime minister for approval.
