THE Legal and Human Right Center (LHRC) in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have unveiled a pilot project on activism against gender-based violence in Dar es Salaam to add to the ongoing efforts to preventing and addressing the vice.
The project, aimed at building capacity and mobilising stakeholders in order to prevent and address the challenges of sexual harassment in the community, is being implemented at Mwananyamala Regional Referral Hospital and surrounding community including Mwananyamala and Makumbusho wards in Kinondoni district.
Speaking during a sensitization session of the pilot project LHRC Executive Director,
Ms Anna Henga, said the project is running for three months, from December last year to March this year and it is being run jointly with other stakeholders including councilors, chairpersons and ward executives and Gender and Children’s Police Desk.
Other stakeholders are National Plan of Action to End Violence Against Women and Children (NPA-VAWC) Dar es Salaam regional committee members, education officers, and community development and social welfare officers at regional, municipal and ward levels. Others are primary and secondary school students and teachers in project area, sports clubs, bodaboda cyclists, journalists, civil society organizations and other stakeholders with similar goals and objectives of the project.
According to LHRC study of 2019/2021, sexual harassment and violence in Kinondoni District increased to 57,626 cases, most of them being sexual abuse related cases.
“As part of the implementation of the project, there will be six major phases, including Rapid Baseline Survey in order to identify the condition of Sexual Harassment and Response to Institutions Accountability and Service Delivery in the Project area,” she said.
Also the project involves building capacity to Mwananyamala Regional Referral Hospital workers including doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians.
“This training will also involve police officers from the gender and children’s desk, local government officers, members of committees for the elimination of violence against women and children at local and ward levels;
She added that, awareness for the community around the Regional Referral Hospital Mwananyamala will include composing messages through articles, songs and brochures, charity walk.
On his part, Assistant Inspector Police Gender Desk, Oysterbay Police Christopher Newton said the community is now aware of the importance of reporting sexual violence acts.
More than five cases are being reported in a month.