Gender Festival in Tarime District
TANZANIA Gender networking program (TGNP) is conducting a three day
Gender Festival in Tarime District with the aim to raise awareness to
traditional elders and communities to shun Female genital mutilation
and gender based violence.
The workshop is scheduled to bring together human rights stakeholders
and activists from grassroots level that will converge to work on
modalities in line with the timely circumcision period ahead later
this year.
The TGNP communications officer Deogratius Temba told reporters in
Tarime that the workshop will also base on creating awareness and
capacity building to village social network activists on the ground on
the dangers associated with Gender based violence and early childhood
marriage.
He said following their recent research carried in about 24 villages
here it was revealed that the FGM activities have slowed down as a
result of a sharp change of mindset and attitude exemplified by
parents and guardians who have gradually opted to educate their girl
children.
“In the past communities here were of the view that practicing old
version traditions like FGM and regular gender violence was part of
their daily life and sometimes perceived as an act of bravely but as
time elapses communities have relatively changed for the better”
He explained that a total of 256 cases of girls complaining of forced
marriages were reported at the institutions and added some parents
were of the opinion to keep village leaders out of reach by not
cooperating information for a possible legal action.
According to Ng’ereng’ere primary school head Simon Birai His school
was chosen as the venue for the event following the track record of
the school being adjacent to the battle ground where the infighting of
the two clans of Waakira and Waanchari took place last year claiming a
life.
He said a dozen pupils especially girls were dropped out of school
prematurely after going through the rite of passage (FGM) where some
irate parents and guardians opted to marry them in exchange of hefty
dowry.
Other topics on the agenda at the workshop the communications boss
said will include educating local residents of their social
responsibility to query from the leading elite the availability public
provision such as water,health and education.