As part of this year’s commemoration of International Women’s Day, Youth of the United Nations Association of Tanzania (YUNA) in collaboration with the rest of the United Nations system in Tanzania, organized a day long Student’s Gender Conference at Karimjee Hall on 7 March 2009.
The theme of the day was “Women and men united to end violence against women and girls.” The conference was attended by students from different secondary schools and higher learning institutions in Dar es Salaam, youth from a variety of civil society organizations, journalists, government officials, as well as representatives from the diplomatic corps and the United Nations system.
The Ilala District Commissioner, also the guest of honour, encouraged youth to play a proactive role in ending violence against women and girls.
“For violence against women and girls to end it’s crucial that both men and women understand each other. Let’s not allow our relationships to be blinded by the question of who is right or wrong because that attitude is a recipe for violence,” the commissioner said.
He added that the important thing was for men and women to live in harmony while appreciating their differences. He insisted that young people had a unique and crucial role in changing society’s mindset about women.
“It starts with you (the youth), it’s about how you treat women and girls in your family, at school, in your neighbourhood, or anywhere” he emphasized.
The European Commission Head of Delegation urged youth to start thinking about how they could make a difference by being champions of protecting women and girls against violence in their society.
“Boys and girls here can make a difference. Start from what you say to others and how you treat each other… my plea to you is think of what you can do for the well being and prosperity of women and your community,” he said.
In a presentation entitled “The Role of Men in Ending Violence against Women and Preventing HIV/AIDS,” the Technical Director of Engender Health (a non-governmental organization) recognized that men had been part of the gender based violence problem because of certain characteristics associated with masculinity (aggression, dominance, strength) that could easily translate into harmful attitudes and behaviours.
He therefore argued that in order to solve the problem, men should and must be involved in the campaign. “We need to help men understand how current gender and social norms may increase risk for themselves and their partners, and how they can adopt and promote healthier behaviours,” he said.
Presenting a paper on the progress of the “Say NO to Violence against Women Campaign,” the Director of the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, and Children said the campaign that was launched in the country in May 2008 by President Jakaya Kikwete was still on going and that so far about 478,992 signatures had been collected all over the country. The target was to collect one million signatures.
Other papers presented during the conference include the “Establishment of Gender Desks within Police Stations” by the Tanzania Female Police Network (TFP Net), “The Status of HIV/AIDS among Youth in Tanzania” by TACAIDS and “Confidence Building” by the TANZANIA Media Fund.
The conference was punctuated by a testimonial from a young lady living with HIV/AIDS, who encouraged her fellow youth to live a responsible life and protect themselves from HIV.
She shared her story of testing positive in 2000 when she was pregnant with her second child. Even though she gave birth to an HIV-negative baby, she was divorced by her husband who refused to continue living with an HIV positive wife. She was later remarried to a man who is also living with HIV. Their attention to medical advice during and after pregnancy and birth has made possible the birth of their HIV-negative son.
She encouraged those who are HIV-positive not to give up, but to seek professional counseling that could help them to live an optimistic life.