Kigoma, Tanzania, 10-12 November 2009 —Violence against Women (VAW) is a global concern crossing all boundaries: socio-economic, cultural, religious, and physical. Anyone anywhere can become a victim of violence; Tanzania is no exception. There are multiple international conventions that address VAW such as the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Regional Charters such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. All on these international and national instruments have been signed and committed to by the Government of Tanzania.  

Despite signing the laws, the commitments are primarily held on paper. As an action towards implementing these crucial instruments, the Tanzania Women Judges Association, a chapter of the International Women Judges Association, conducted a 3 day training session in Kigoma, Tanzania, a region of Tanzania that experiences high levels of violence. The session was sponsored by UNIFEM- Tanzania as an anticipatory event to the 16 days of Activism against Violence against Women.

Using a practical, hands on approach, 30 Judges and Magistrates were trained by reviewing actual VAW case studies, role playing, and discussing. Highly sensitive issues such as Inheritance laws and child rape were discussed. The program also included a session with a Professional Doctor on the link between VAW and HIV/Aids.

The participants all pledged their commitment to the Say NO-UNiTE- End Violence against Women campaign. The session was a success and will continue to be held in other regions of Tanzania. With the commitment of the Judges and Magistrates, the women and children of Tanzania can be assured that their cases will be heard fairly and justice will be served to the perpetrators.