LHRC closes in on gender transformative milestone

It is time now for women to have their heads over the clouds across the world as they slowly beat the hydra—headed monsters of injustices and inequalities.

Nothing you assign them and they would not efficiently do it the same as men, or rather go beyond. And that’s from top senior positions, managers to technical personnel.

It is no small feat to see them break barriers, squaring up to a tens of thousands of male-dominated occupations.

As most emerging economies, including Tanzania, grapple with an insurmountable—looking challenge of inequality, some dedicated firms made significant strides over it and they live by the accord.

The Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) is one of the rare country’s largest advocacy power-houses that embrace gender parity.

According to the LHRC’s Executive Director, Ms Anna Henga the organization has quickly moved from “gender aware” to “gen-der mainstreaming” level – global thresholds that measure gender equality compliance position of an entity.

Ms Anna is super proud that even her work cycle is currently too ‘feminine’ starting from her driver, an accountant, ICT officer, to security officer being all women.

Such a milestone makes huge sense now for legal and human rights body as the world awaits the celebration of the International Women’s Day on March 8.The day’s objective of warding off inequality and recognizing women’s roles in the societies reflect on LHRC’s core values and missions. “This day is much more important than all human rights days of other groups combined,” stresses LHRC’s boss whose assertion is backed by the world-known fact that women population outnumber men, translation, marking it as the same as recognizing “people’s rights.

”In addition, truth to be told, other groups represent only ten percent of the world population while women take up to 50 percent in almost every country, according to her.

Iconic women at LHRC

Despite Anna Henga joining Dr Hellen Kijo Bisimba in the list of the female iconic leaders of the LHRC, but the latter played a colorful roles in the making of today’s organization.

Dr Hellen is the only long-serving LHRC’s chief, having been in the office twice in different times.

Dr Hellen, according to Ms Anna, was unshakable and always spoke her mind in the best interest of society even if it doesn’t please her critics.

These crucial attributes and many more were her building stones of the latter-day LHRC.

Ms Anna picked up lessons on how to have respect for mankind, women’s rights and utilize well a freedom of expression.

However, Dr Hellen retired from steering the legal and human rights yatch but behind the scenes remains a powerful matron of the institution.

“Her legacies will forever be our cherished drive to continue excel in the quest of fair and just legal ground,” Ms Anna further elaborated.

Gender mainstreaming

It goes without saying that the legal and human rights firm sees a light at the end of tunnel with how they embark on immense lobbying of gender equality at workplaces.

Thanks to the gender mainstreaming initiative, a brainchild of Anna and her co.

At first glance, Anna admitted it all started with challenging themselves on the part of gender balance in the office before turning eye on other groups. “We had to ask ourselves if we really fit the bill by advocating for gender equality in the national assembly and other organs (particularly 50/50 agenda) or if we were living a lie.”

On that score, they had to resort to an affirmative action of recruiting right women to bring about an equal number of staff to every position without intentionally secluding men.

All these strides resulted in gender audits whereby LHRC were classified into ‘gender mainstreaming’ level, having graduated from ‘gender aware’ position.

With this new gender main-streaming level, strongly requires a political will of the top management, accountability and culture building, she had to propose to the board to conduct training that will enable staff respond to the standards of the reached level.

After having board’s approval and blessings from the donor, she conducted a gender mainstreaming training to the board members and staff.

“It took all of my efforts and energy to instill this critical aspect to such a huge group, and thankfully, the board necessitated the engendering of all LHRC’s policies.” This was the first proof of political will by the board.

On accountability, internally, the firm formed a special commit-tee to monitor its implementation across all key areas. There is also an external consultant who scrutinizes closely whether LHRC is account-able.

Speaking of building this culture, Anna says that they have done everything possible to pass down the culture of respecting women to every group of their staff.

She explains that they impart that culture in terms of awarding average excellence in respecting dignities to both men and women. “We award persons who try to detach from being offenders to become gender responsive. Also we put in place punitive measures against arrogance.” She added.

Last year, they awarded two debutants, a man and woman for such a milestone.

She takes huge pride in the endeavor as a number of female staff surged.

Nonetheless, being watched over by different organizations, LHRC has been consulted by some of the CSOs and Ministry of Social Welfare to outsource the same skillsets through its robust gender—affiliated portfolio.

Ms Anna aspires to grow out of the gender mainstreaming level and go all-out to gender transformative.

Lobbying laws amendment

LHRC understand that Tanzania’s marriage act of 1971 is yet an inexorable provision that leave school-age girls’ child submissive to the atrocity of gender-based violence under a disguise of marriage.

The said act allows men to contract polygamous marriages, and permits the marriage of 15-years-old girls.

LHRC continues to echo swift amendment of the wicked act by nullifying ‘a 15-years age group’ article to contract marriage and bind 18-years age threshold instead.

“The majority society drop on religious scriptures but when clerics inquired about the matter, they would tell you they never want it to even happen to their daughters,” she says.

Madam Anna goes further to unfold that a 15-year-old girl is too morphologically premature to handle a twin burden of marriage and pregnancy.

She notifies that the sensitivity of the matter had awakened the minister of social welfare, Dr Dorothy Gwajima who collected all of our recommendations and worked on them, only to leave the issue with National Assembly to table the bill for the proposed amendment.

On other hand, she is grateful for the small, albeit impactful, amendment of the Female Genital Mutilation Act in the aspect of penalty.

“A person who is guilty of an offense now can be sentenced up to 14 years depending on the intensity of the crime, repealing the former act’s penalty of only a fine which would anyhow be paid easily by an offender just by a sale of his cow,” hinted Ms Anna.

On that backdrop, LHRC hopes for the better as they wait to see the light at the end of tunnel.

Celebrating Women’s day

Speaking of activities to be done by LHRC as their celebratory events, she says they have planned to roll out their major campaign of gender mainstreaming which is already in operation internally.

Along the way, they will execute a social media month-long campaign of circulating different education-al messages concerning women’s rights. “We have begun sharing those messages since March 1, 2022 and we will continue until the end of the month.”

Also, LHRC as the firm, prepares a detailed write-up - to be released on March 7 - that encompasses the country’s current data about women’s rights after the incumbency of the reigning government.

The document, however, will expound on the progress of gender-based violence, development and economic rights, political rights etc.

This is done to help people be aware of what is going on in women’s status in the country.

All the more, Ms Anna reveals their yet another plan of providing legal aid service to people in cooperation with the Arusha-based Tanzania Women Judges Association (TAWJA), Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) and Ilala Social Welfare.“We have also contributed some tools for a ‘Women’s Day Out’—a special outing for women,” added Ms Anna.

LHRC’s MD, prior to the marking of the day, calls for an unending commitment to have respect for dignities, particularly women who are the bedrock of any economy.