VARIOUS stakeholders, including the Police Force in Tarime District, have appealed for extension of the anti-female genital mutilation (FGM) and child Marriage project implemented by Plan International with funding from the European Union (EU) in the past three years.
The three-year project, which kicked off in 2017, is reported to have significantly reduced the rate of child marriage and FGM cases in five wards, according to Tarime officials.
The wards with hundreds of schoolchildren who have benefited from the project are Komaswa, Binagi, Regicheri, Pemba and Mbogi.
The aim of the project was to end child marriage, teenage pregnancy and FGM in the five rural wards.
“We are happy that the communities from these wards have understood the effects of child marriage and FGM and we ask Planning International to implement the project in other areas,” Mr Caude Mtweve, the coordinator of Gender and Children’s Desk in Tarime/Rorya Regional Police Zone, said recently.
The official was speaking during a special stakeholders’ meeting hosted by Plan International at a hotel in Tarime to end the project.
He said the number of incidents of gender-based violence and violence against children reported at the Police Force’s gender and children’s desks had also increased at this time.
“The increase of reported cases we are seeing is an indication that the communities are now aware and we ask Plan International to come again and do the same job in wards that have not been reached,” Mr Mtweve noted.
The crucial meeting was attended by Officers Commanding Districts (OCDs) from Tarime, Sirari and Nyamwaga, representatives of beneficiary groups, including schoolchildren, officials who are in-charge of nongovernmental organisations protecting the rights of children and those involved in the implementation of the project.
A social welfare officer in Tarime District Ms Siwema Sylvester thanked Plan International for showing good cooperation with the government and other key actors during the implementation of the project.
“I wish to thank Plan International. Apart from us, they have involved all stakeholders like AFGM Masanga, Children’s Dignity Forum (CDF), Right to Play and many others,” Ms Siwema said.
Key partners who participated in the implementation of the EUfunded project in collaboration with Plan International are CDF, Tackle Africa and Tanzania Football Federation (TFF).
