The government has been challenged to incorporate issues of gender-based violence (GBV) in the education curriculum for primary school children to grow while being well informed about the matters and how to tackle them.
Speaking at a GBV public sensitization forum in Dar es Salaam this week, the head of the Social Welfare Department at the Royal College of Tanzania (RCT), Fortunata Mtobi said that by incorporating the matter in school curriculum it will help in eliminating habits of gender violence in the country.
Organised by the Women’s Legal Aid Centre (WLAC), the forum was aimed at discussing issues of GBV with RCT students to enable them be well informed about the matter and how they can contribute in the war against BGV in the country.
“Various forms of gender-based violence are deeply rooted in our communities and now the menace is growing in schools, so the matter should be incorporated in the curriculum alongside issues of sexuality so as to help fight the tendency right from early stages,” she said.
If the education is provided in schools, children especially girls who are the most vulnerable to GBV will be able to take good care of themselves and be more confident, she stated.
“Children will also freely report any such case were they to fall victim to GBV whether in school, home or elsewhere,” the presenter noted.
She said some people fear to speak out if they are faced with inhuman actions hence end up suffering silently, cautioning that silence fuels gender-based violence. “Such fears will be effectively gotten rid of if children are empowered on these issues at early stages,” the told the audience.
She also underscored the need for more coordinated and strengthened efforts in fighting gender based violence in every area, including schools.
For her part, WLAC Programme Coordinator Abiah Richard said that due to violence that girls experience in schools, it eventually makes them lack confidence in anything especially participating in classroom work and tackling assignments.
She described school-related GBV as encompassing several aspects including sexual, physical and psychological violence occurring at school and on the journey to and from school. “It is violence that is perpetrated as a result of gender stereotyping, discriminatory practices and unequal gender relations,” she elaborated.
“In this area, girls are often at greater risk of sexual violence. GBV in schools has serious consequences for student’s physical and mental health and well-being. It has been shown to adversely impact learning, school attendance and completion thus ruining a student’s future,” the coordinator underlined.
She urged the general public to encourage te habit of reporting to appropriate authorities whenever they witness GBV incident in their area.
“In case of any GBV incident, report it very fast to the police and to local authorities. This will help to engender fear among perpetrators who continue with such actions owing to a feeling of impunity,” she said.
People should not wait for gender-based violence to happen so as to seek help from the police, hospitals or lawyers but should instead unite to eliminate the illicit acts, she added.
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