Facts & Figures

• Between 41 and 56 per cent of women in Tanzania have experienced violence by their partner – (https://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,IRBC,,TZA,456d621e2,48d2237a23,0.html)

• Over 50 per cent of women in Tanzania are beaten daily by their husbands – (see above)

• 60 per cent of women who are beaten in Tanzania never seek help – (see above)

• Studies have shown that children who witness violence may experience many of the same emotional and behavioral problems that physically abused children experience, such as depression, aggression, disobedience, nightmares, physical health complaints and poor school performance – (Heise LL, Pitanguy J, Germain A. Violence Against Women: the Hidden Health Burden. [World Bank Discussion Papers, no.255] Washington, DC: World Bank, 1994.)

• 28 per cent of women in Tanzania report that their first sexual experience was not consensual through either rape or coercion – (https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs239/en/)

• Sexual education is not taught widely or correctly in schools throughout Tanzania. Many myths and misconceptions exist around HIV / AIDS, condoms, pregnancy, love, respect, sexuality and the role of women in relationships and society.

• The World Bank estimates that rape and domestic abuse account for 5 percent of healthy years of life lost to women of reproductive age in developing countries – (https://www.advocatesforyouth.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=457&Itemid=177#3)

• In a hospital study on abortion in Tanzania, nearly one third of adolescents receiving abortion were impregnated by men 45 years or older – (Sharif H. AIDS education efforts begin to address plight of Tanzania youth. AIDS Captions 1993; 1(1):20-21.)

• The female literacy rate in Tanzania is 57 per cent compared to 80 per cent for boys – (https://www.afrol.com/Categories/Women/profiles/tanzania_women.html)

• In 2007 one in five primary school students in Tanzania fell pregnant and did not finish school – (https://allafrica.com/stories/201003101059.html)

• Tanzania’s population is 80 per cent rural and most parents cannot afford to send their daughters to school – (see above)

• One in six women are victims of female genital mutilation in Tanzania – Arusha region has the highest rate at 81 per cent and Dodoma second with 68 per cent – (https://genderindex.org/country/tanzania)  Medical complications of FGM include pain, prolonged bleeding, hemorrhaging, urinary retention, infections, obstetric complications, and psychological trauma – (Kiragu K. Female genital mutilation: a reproductive health concern. Popul Rep J 1995; 23(33, Suppl):1- 4.)

• The minimum age for marriage in Tanzania is 15 years old for a woman, with allowances for marriages to 14 year olds in ‘exceptional circumstances’ and 18 years old for a man – (https://www.thisday.co.tz/?l=10734)

• Twenty-five percent of Tanzanian women under 18 are already mothers – (https://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50623)

• In Tanzania, three-quarters of births take place at home without proper care and treatment – (https://allafrica.com/stories/201003101059.html)

• 25 per cent of girls in Tanzania between 15 and 19 years of age are married, divorced or widowed – (https://genderindex.org/country/tanzania)

• Almost one quarter of Tanzanian women live in polygamous marriages – (see above)

• The majority of Tanzanians live in less than US$2 a day, most of them women – (https://allafrica.com/stories/201004260902.html)

• Tanzania women, like women the world over, are more likely to be infected by HIV / AIDS – (see above)