European Union Ambassador on behalf of EU and its Member States (Team Europe)

All protocol observed.

This year 2024, marks the 25^th year of the International Day for the elimination of Violence against Women: 25 years of growing and more engaged activism to say NO to violence against women and girls,

On this day, the EU and its member states, we reaffirm our commitment here in Tanzania to end all forms of violence against women and girls.

Maybe it is worth reminding ourselves why we have this day and why it is an “international” day?

International meaning that every country in the world is marking this day: because we are dealing with a global phenomenon: indeed, gender-based violence is affecting every country with no exception, “a universal phenomenon, which takes many forms across culture, race, and class”, and is a severe violation of human rights.

The data are striking, and we do not remind us enough: Globally, 1 in 3 women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime and 1 in 5 girls becomes a victim of child sexual abuse.

In Tanzania,  according to Social Institution and Gender Index (SIGI) Tanzania, report (2022), more than half of all women have suffered from at least one form of violence in their lifetime:

• Almost half of women have experienced Intimate Partner Violence at least once in their lifetime.

• Half of the population believes that a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wife if she burns food, goes out without telling him, neglects the children or argues with him.
• 38% of women of reproductive age have unmet needs for family planning.
• Child marriage is prevalent in Tanzania and affects primarily girls – it still stands at 19%
• More than 2 million Tanzanian women have undergone Female Genital Mutilation.

This is striking: it makes us thinking that if it is not myself, surely, it is someone I know: our daughters, our sisters, our nieces, and our girls at school. And for each of these girls and women, violent experiences have tremendous consequences for their lives.

How can we overcome this?

This year national theme of the 16 Days of activism is "Kuelekea Miaka +30 ya Beijing: CHAGUA Kutokomeza Ukatili wa Kijinsia": this gives us a key word : CHAGUA, TO CHOOSE

Indeed, We do not end violence just by accident, we CHOOSE to End violence, every day in our actions, and by choosing to influence our decision-makers.

Especially these years, when Tanzania is asked to elect its political decision makers, we have the power to choose and to hold people we chose accountable for our country; that’s the principle of democracy.

• Individually, We can choose to stand against GBV: in our families, at work, in our groups we make it clear, no violence is allowed for our women and girls, whether physical, psychological or online.
• In our communities we choose to act, report, and stop GBV: we do not stand passive, but we do react to end this vicious circle. We choose to break the silence and the stigma: by combatting violence, the whole society benefits.
• Together, we choose to have the collective strength to influence decision makers to end GBV: we advocate for laws and regulations that protect and respond to women and girls needs of being free from violence, on any place in the country. We ask for justice through effective and secure response mechanisms and protection of victims..

In 2024 and 2025 Tanzanian citizens can choose leaders committed in addressing and eradicating GBV in the communities and national level.

As the European Union and its Member States present in Tanzania [BELGIUM, DENMARK, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, IRELAND, ITALY, NETHERLANDS, POLAND, SPAIN, SWEDEN], we reiterate our commitment in Tanzania to support the government, communities and citizens together to address GBV.

Indeed, combatting all forms of violence, harassment and abuse of women and girls, both online and offline, is essential to achieving gender equality!

Added up, as the EU and the Member States in Tanzania, in these years we are currently investing in Gender Equality and Women’s and girls’ empowerment a total amount of more than 200 Mio EUR/545.2 billion TZS.

As concrete examples, in Tanzania, as Team Europe, we are proud of choosing to act:

• addressing social norms, attitudes and practices that perpetuate GBV;
• combating online violence, ensure accountability for perpetrators, and create a safer digital space for all women and girls;
• expanding gender and children desks in schools, universities, public spaces, and in police stations, to encourage victims and their relatives to break the silence and to have a safe person to trust.
• supporting help lines, shelters and services for prevention and protection of women and girls.
• contributing to prepare the justice sector, prosecutors and investigators to tackle specific cases with the due procedures and behavior.
• Promote social and economic inclusion, and women economic empowerment to break the cycle of dependence and give equal opportunities, especially to women undergone to violence

In Tanzania, we applaud the support from H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, as well as women and male champions who have taken actions to end violence against women and girls; ; they show that it is worth to end stereotypes and that everyone has an opportunity.

Let me conclude by inviting g  the government of the United Republic of Tanzania in the current electoral period, now and next year,to further strengthen the efforts to fight firmly the Violence against women in Elections and giving response and protection to women voters and candidates  ensuring female citizens to exercise their civil and political rights free of violence.

Let me congratulate the organization of the campaign – WILDAF and all  Mkuki coalition – and reiterate our commitment to promoting Gender Equality and Women Empowerment throughout these 16 days – as the rest of the year.

We stand together to prevent violence against women and girls!