WHY MEN’S ROLE IS KEY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST GBV

Violence against women and girls is increasingly becoming common in Tanzania – notwithstanding the fact that laws and assorted campaigns aimed at stamping out the vice have been put in place. Gloomy news of killings and torture somehow related to gender based violence (GBV) continue to dominate headlines as a matter of course.

Sad to say, efforts to surmount GBV violence have mainly focused on responding to GBV acts, and providing care/services to the victims, rather than being preventative, inhibitory.

Many societal institutions raise voices against GBV; but only a few attempt to take it head-on.

Needless to belabour the point: men are the main GBV perpetrators. But, this is rarely taken into consideration as a possible factor in finding a solution.

GBV is widespread and ingrained in Tanzania, largely rooted in social norms which tend to accept violence and gender stereotyping that feed cycles of violence.

This makes it difficult to change when anti-GBV activists come up with the same agenda which largely locks men out of the equation.

The majority of the perpetrators of such ugly acts are not in urban areas where multimillion shillings campaigns apparently target.

A recent Tanzania and Demographic Health Survey shows that, at least 44 percent of married women have experienced physical/sexual violence from their male partners.

This worrisome statistic might be the tip of the iceberg that is still unfathomed. In that regard, activists should invest in the provision of education to men as well, instead of just being “vocal feminists.”

Rural areas are mostly notorious for GBV. But the perpetrators almost invariably walk away scot-free, largely because of lack of proper education, compounded by impunity.

It is unfortunate that the majority of women – especially in rural areas – are the big losers in the GBV stakes. Yet, a majority of the activists against the malady are crammed in urban centres, mostly tongue-wagging in response to GBV reports.

MEDEXPO ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Tanzania is today in the middle of one of “Africa’s mega-medical and health-care events”. This is the 23rd MEDEXPO 2022, the country’s “exclusive business-to-business (b2b) exhibition for the medical, health-care and laboratory industry that officially began at the Diamond Jubilee Hall in Dar es Salaam yesterday, and ends tomorrow.

Organised by EXPOGROUP with support from the Tanzania Dental Association and the East African Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, MEDEXPO 2022 is one of the largest International Trade Exhibitions held annually in Tanzania, usually pulling in show-goers from all over East and Central Africa – about 2,000 of whom are industry professionals.

It also attracts over 100 exhibitors from more than 20 world countries, as well as from Tanzania’s hospitals, specialised clinics, suppliers and buyers. All in all, the event “gives the exhibitors an excellent opportunity to explore several countries at once,” the organisers aver.

We can only enthusiastically acclaim such activities which squarely put out country on the right path to sustainable development.