Why Ending Violence against Women and Girls Must be a Global Priority

By Ambassador Alfonso E. Lenhardt | December 6, 2012

Ambassador Alfonso E. Lenhardt

Violence against women and girls affects Tanzania just as it does the United States and every other nation. Gender-based violence is a global pandemic that cuts across ethnic, racial, socio-economic, and religious lines, and knows no borders.

Since 1991, the world has set aside the 16 days that link November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, with December 10, International Human Rights Day, to underscore the idea that violence committed against women because of their gender is a fundamental violation of human rights. Because of this, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has made this issue a top priority for American foreign policy. President Barack Obama's Administration is also committed to ending violence against women in the United States, where too many women are still mistreated and abused.

As defined by the Government of Tanzania, “Gender-based violence is an umbrella term for any act, omission, or conduct that is perpetuated against a person’s will and that is based on socially ascribed differences (gender) between males and females. In this context, gender-based violence includes but is not limited to sexual violence, physical violence and harmful traditional practices, and economic and social violence. The term refers to violence that targets individuals or groups on the basis of their being female or male.” Types of gender-based violence can include female infanticide; child sexual abuse; sex trafficking and forced labor; sexual coercion and abuse; neglect; domestic violence; elder abuse. We also call attention to and decry harmful traditional practices such as early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

It remains unacceptable that in 2012, one in three women around the world will still experience some form of gender-based violence in her lifetime. Intimate partner violence is the most common form of violence. In some countries the percentage is as high as 70 percent. Here in Tanzania, a recent nationwide survey revealed that 44 percent of married or previously married women experienced some form of physical and/or sexual violence at the hands of their husbands.

Physical violence vastly increases women’s risk for serious medical conditions - reproductive health problems, miscarriages, and sexually transmitted diseases. Country studies indicate that the risk of HIV among women who have experienced violence may be up to three times higher than among those who have not. In consideration of these facts, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is completing a new national clinical training curriculum that will enable health professionals to effectively treat survivors of violence and refer them to other critical support services.

Gender based violence extracts significant social costs as well. A 2004 study in the United Kingdom projected the total direct and indirect costs of domestic violence to be $36 billion dollars per year, or $700 USD per person. Preventing and prosecuting violence against women pays enormous dividends in the long run. The United States’ Violence Against Women Act, which strengthened efforts to investigate and prosecute such crimes, is estimated to have saved more than $16 billion since its enactment in 1994. By proactively preventing and responding to gender-based violence, Tanzania stands to reduce a major obstacle to social and economic development. This is why reducing such violence is an operational target in the nation’s anti-poverty plan, the Mkukuta II.

Violence against women and girls is not just a gender or economic issue but one encompassing international human rights and national security. We need laws in place to criminalize such acts. These laws need to be enforced and hold people accountable, since impunity too often helps to fuel the violence.

Recognizing the magnitude of the problem, non-governmental organizations and the Government of Tanzania have worked assiduously to raise public awareness of gender-based violence, particularly domestic abuse and rape. As a result, social attitudes are beginning to change. Services to support survivors of gender-based violence are expanding, particularly in the health sector. And police and courts are increasingly taking action to effectively serve adult and child victims of violence and to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice. Further, the government is taking steps to clarify the relevant legislation in order to ensure women and children are adequately protected.

There are countless Tanzanian heroes leading the way in efforts to promote women's rights and address the scourge of gender-based violence. In March of this year, the U.S. Embassy bestowed the 2012 Tanzanian Woman of Courage award on High Court Judge Joaquine De-Mello for her efforts to promote equality, opportunity, and justice for Tanzanian women and girls. She has exhibited great courage in conveying the message that women's rights in Tanzania must be observed and promoted by all citizens. She has also raised awareness that public apathy, discrimination, and oppressive traditions such as female genital mutilation, contribute to violations and abuses against women and children. As a result of her work, and that of other women leaders in their fields, Judge De-Mello's work has raised a public discourse on these sensitive subjects, and challenged the public to defend women's rights.

Women are the key to progress and prosperity in the 21st century. When they are marginalized and mistreated, humanity cannot progress. When they are accorded their rights and afforded equal opportunities in education, health care, employment, and political participation, they lift up their families, their communities, and their nations.

For our efforts to succeed and bring about a future of promise for women, it is necessary for every citizen, especially men, to combat violence against women in their communities and to promote greater opportunities for women and girls. This is one of the most noble, necessary, and highest priorities of our time.

Alfonso E. Lenhardt is the Ambassador of the United States of America to the United Republic of Tanzania