Author: ALEXANDER SANGA in Mwanza
AfricaPress-Tanzania: FORMER Prime Minister’s wife Tunu Pinda has asked a nongovernmental organisation (NGO), 100,000 Women Network Organisation, to take action on sexual and all forms of gender-based violence (GBV) directed towards women and children.
Ms Pinda made the call at the weekend during the launch of the NGO’s operations in the region, saying GBV might cause economic stagnation, when women were denied a right to be part of decision-making processes in society.
“Things also go the opposite when children are denied their rights. We appreciate the job well done by the NGO, especially exposing and reporting cases related to violence to relevant authorities,” she said.
She added that public education was of profound importance when it came to fighting against discriminative traditional practices that affected women and children.
She also praised the government for intensifying the GBV fight, saying women networks would continue supporting the war on GBV.
Ms Pinda urged women to utilise the loans offered by district councils so that they could engage in various economic activities.
The network’ Secretary General Josephine Kiongoda asked members to continue bringing together women from across the country so that they could collaborate to fight against GBV.
“As of now,” she added, “the network has 3,084 members, but it targets to have 100,000, from every corner of the country to ensure all GBV victims are easily and timely reached.”
The network’s chairperson for Shinyanga Region, Ms Scholastica Ndaga, commented that the region faced early pregnancy challenges, which hindered children from achieving their life dreams.
“Rape cases are also a big challenge, but we intensify the war and we are thankful that the government supports us,” she said.
