WOMEN'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE HEARS COMMENTS ON TANZANIAN REPORT

Press Release
WOM/1064

WOMEN'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE HEARS COMMENTS ON TANZANIAN REPORT

As in many African countries where there was a great burden of servicing external debt, the three elements of political will, legislation and resources were all equally needed to implement positive changes for women, the Permanent Secretary of the United Republic of Tanzania's Ministry of Community Development, Women's Affairs and Children said this afternoon.

Speaking to the 23 expert members of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, as they concluded consideration of Tanzania's combined second and third periodic reports, Mwatumu Jasime Malale said her Government was spending 40 per cent of what was left after servicing external debt on primary education and health.

Members of the Committee said that, considering the magnitude and level of entrenchment of women's discrimination, no less than massive campaigns were needed to raise awareness of the general public, as well as of policy-makers. That required political will even more than resources.

Experts, however, expressed concern about political will on the part of Tanzania's Government. There seemed to be a lack of interest in violence against women, in wife-battering, and in the lack of data on prostitution and trafficking.

The country's Permanent Representative, Daudi Ngelautwa Mwakawago, said massive successes had been accomplished in improving literacy, providing water and other health-related services. However, due to structural adjustment programmes, 45 cents out of every export dollar currently went to servicing the debt. The Committee could assist Tanzania by appealing for aid for infrastructure development in education and health, which affected women.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 2 July, to begin considering the combined second and third periodic reports of Nigeria.

Committee Work Programme

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women met this afternoon to continue its consideration of the combined second and third periodic reports of the United Republic of Tanzania.

(For background information on the report, as well as experts comments, see Press Release WOM/1063 of 1 July.)

Experts Comments

An expert said that while the situation of women in the United Republic of Tanzania seemed gloomy, it was important to recognize that significant steps had been taken, such as the ground-breaking legislation against female genital mutilation. Many women non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were making a difference in the situation for women in Tanzania.

While commendable, however, such initiatives were not enough to change deeply rooted cultural and religious attitudes and practices that discriminated against women, she said. For example, inheritance laws were severely discriminatory. Conflicts existed between customary laws and civil laws. There were many precedents of countries making civil law superior to customary law; these could be used as models.

Another concern was the Government's continued lack of interest in violence against women, she said. Wife-battering was of particular concern. The lack of data on prostitution and trafficking were other problems, as was the defilement of girls due to witchcraft practices. Rather than requiring resources to take action, the Government required political will.

The Government could help break the cycle of discrimination through its political will, she said. Considering the magnitude and level of entrenchment of discrimination against women, no less than massive awareness-raising campaigns were needed, directed at the general public, as well as policy- makers.

One expert asked again for more information on the Women's Development Fund. Some information had been given, such as the minimum age of 18 for eligibility and how much money had been invested in it by the Government. Were beneficiaries groups or individuals? How many beneficiaries had there been? What kinds of projects had been funded? Also, of concern was the increasing drop-out rate and the low enrolment of girls in schools. There had been no mention of revising the school curricula and textbooks. Violence against women was of grave concern, and particularly troubling was the violence against elderly women, whose other rights, such as housing, were also denied.

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Another expert said she supported the views expressed. She said it was commendable of the Tanzanian Government to identify and amend laws that were harmful to women. Therefore, it was disconcerting that the traditional attitudes, cultural norms and traditional practices were still hindering the implementation of the Convention. The next report should describe the programmes and machinery that the Government was implementing to advance women's equality. Did Tanzania have a cooperative programme with United Nations agencies for resource assistance with regard to women?

DAUDI NGELAUTWA MWAKAWAGO, Tanzania's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said he wanted to provide some background information. At the time of independence, in 1961, adult illiteracy was 85 per cent; by 1990, after massive adult education campaigns, 95 per cent of the adult population was literate. Also, at the time of independence, people were widely scattered, which impeded the provision of services, including education and clean water. The Government had implemented a "villagization" programme, after which universal primary education was obtained, and 60 per cent of persons received clean water.

According to a study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), 90 per cent of the country's health problems were environmental and could be eliminated through, inter alia, clean water and sanitation, he said. In response, clinics and health centres had been built by the people, with resources supplied through the Government. Those programmes were extremely successful until the implementation of structural adjustment programmes.

Today, of every dollar received from exports, 45 cents went to servicing the debt, he said. Aid to developing countries was at the lowest rate, yet developing countries' populations and needs had increased. The Committee could provide assistance by appealing for aid, which would be used for infrastructure development -- both physical and social -- such as education and health, all of which greatly affected women.

Social traditions died hard, he said. The Division for the Advancement of Women and other bodies could be of assistance by organizing seminars, including seminars on a regional basis. The United Republic of Tanzania had a very large number of female members of Parliament, including ministers, judges and commissioners. They had organized a women's parliamentary group, which did fund-raising and was organizing child-care centres for working mothers. These women were also very involved in developing legislation. He reminded Committee members that parliamentary business was an intricate and slow process, involving the balancing of different interests. Tanzania's Parliament was active and reform-minded, but it was conducting reform in a conservative situation.

Many local NGOs were highly motivated and well-intentioned, but they often lacked training and resources, he said. It would be beneficial if training could be directed to empowering local NGOs to become more effective.

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MWATUMU JASIME MALALE, Permanent Secretary of Tanzania's Ministry of Community Development, Women's Affairs and Children, said the picture presented did not portray the real picture, due to the shortness of the report and the lack of statistics. The report had shown few developments because it had aimed to highlight the obstacles that Tanzania still had to overcome. The record needed to be set straight.

It could be said firmly and emphatically that the Government of Tanzania had taken the first step for gender equality immediately after independence, she said. Women were included in the first Parliament, the principle of equal pay for equal work was applied in all work situations. Women in Tanzania had many rights that women in developed countries did not have, but the question in Tanzania was whether all women had it; rural women did not. The problem was how to extend more rights to all women.

Why had it taken the Government so long to change the laws? she asked. The laws were set up during colonial times and were intended to deny women their rights. That was why the Government was looking into the laws, but legal reform was a long, time-consuming process. In addition, legal resources were needed to accomplish the work, and Tanzania had been at a disadvantage in that area.

Furthermore, it was a misperception that 40 noxious laws needed to be changed in Tanzania, she said. Quite a number had been removed from the list compiled at the time of the last report. The few laws that remained to be changed concerned the rights of both men and women, making them of national concern.

A question as to whether international conventions became laws of the land immediately had been asked in the morning, she said. The answer was no; they became laws through national parliaments in the usual way.

Her Ministry dealt with community relations, she said. The aim of the Ministry was to integrate development and to act as a watchdog to make sure everyone took up their responsibility regarding mainstreaming of women's issues. Budget figures would be submitted later to indicate how the Ministry was empowered financially. The Ministry had been involved in all other government agencies, such as environment, making sure gender mainstreaming was introduced into every sector.

The Community Development Policy was an instrument designed for people within their communities, especially in regard to making development available to women at the grass-roots level, she explained. That applied at every level, from regional down to ward. With the help of NGOs and the media, the Government had been active across the board in implementing policies against the ingrained traditional practices, from wife inheritance to water rights issues, and from child-birth to dietary laws.

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In conclusion, she said some documents were available, including a pamphlet entitled "Women and Men in Tanzania". It was unfortunate that the report had been short, but the questions had come late and it was difficult to prepare properly. But as the Minister had pointed out, the substance of the report should be considered its advocacy of empowerment and how the Government can help.

As in many African countries where there was a great burden of servicing external debt, the three elements of political will, legislation and resources were all needed to implement positive changes, she said. In Tanzania this year, the Government was spending 40 per cent of what was left after servicing external debt on primary education and health. The infrastructure needed massive investment, as did physical repair of damage caused by El Niño. Most importantly, the roads needed repair, the only means by which women had access to services and water.

CHARLOTTE ABAKA, expert from Ghana, Acting Chairperson, said the Committee was concerned about the status of women in the United Republic of Tanzania. Thirty-odd years of national independence was a short time. Nonetheless, it was important that women enjoyed equal rights and status with men. The Committee had received information on the vibrant women's movements working to change society's views.

She agreed with Mr. Mwakawago about debt-servicing, which was burdening many developing countries. A similar problem had been voiced regarding South Africa. Coupled with that was the worldwide trend of economic globalization, which often led to cuts in the social sector, affecting women and children most. It was, thus, important that the international community, including financial institutions, play the role expected of them.

The Committee was concerned about reservations to the Convention, especially on article 1 (definition of "discrimination against women"); article 2 (legal and administrative measures to eliminate discrimination); article 4 (temporary measures to accelerate de facto equality); and article 16 (elimination of discrimination in marriage and the family). Fortunately, Tanzania had boldly ratified the Convention without reservations. It was to be hoped that the political will evinced by that move still existed.

Much of the Committee's concern regarding Tanzania's compliance with the Convention related to articles 1, 2 and 16, which were not being implemented as prescribed by the Convention, she said. While efforts to date were appreciated, further efforts might be needed to ensure that those articles were implemented. When a particular group of people had long been discriminated against, temporary special measures were important to close the gap between the vulnerable group and others. Affirmative action programmes should be well understood, she stressed.

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Many of the problems faced by Tanzania, especially those related to customary and religious traditions, had been faced and overcome by other African countries, she said. Assistance and models should be sought from sister countries. The Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance had addressed the Committee at its last session. He had said he was prepared to give any State party assistance in overcoming any practices that were harmful to women. Also, she recalled a workshop organized by the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) in 1995 or 1996, in Addis Ababa, on harmful traditional practices. The material from that workshop could be of use for Tanzania. Traditions did indeed die hard, but some countries had been able to abolish harmful practices, and she hoped the United Republic of Tanzania would do so, as well.

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