Coordinating Strategic Collective Actions Against Violation of Girl's Rights

One of Women Fund Tanzania Trust's (WFT-T) commitments in its strategic plan is to promote strategic collective actions aimed at disrupting all forms of power, including patriarchy leading to discrimination, exploitation, and exclusion of women, girls, children, and other marginalized social groups. This includes coordinating stakeholders whenever there is an issue/agenda related to women/girls/children that needs attention.

With that mandate, WFT-T recently convened an emergency meeting of the stakeholders working on women, girls, and children's rights to discuss strategies that need to be taken to raise voices for the girl Nanyoli (22) who was brutally killed in Loliondo District, Arusha Region.

The meeting was organized after receiving information about the incident from a coalition member, Mimutie Women Organization which advocates for women's and girls’ rights in peripheral Districts.

The aim of this emergency meeting which was attended by stakeholders from various organizations involved in women, girls, and children's rights was to discuss strategies to raise their voices to condemn the killing of the girl and also to request the relevant authorities to take appropriate action against the killing considering that this is not the only case.

Similarly, the meeting discussed the importance of continuing to demand the government to amend the law of Marriage Act 1971, which allows girls to be married before the age of maturity ie 18, which would be a savior against early marriages.

Speaking during the meeting, coalition members expressed their feelings that they were saddened by the information, and through the meeting they agreed to prepare a joint media statement to condemn the incident and raise their voices through the media.

Also, they agreed Mischana Initiative to coordinate the press conference in collaboration with other coalition members from Arusha.

Coalition Members Condemn the Murder of a Girl.

As part of the implementation of the agreed actions from the stakeholder's emergency meeting, Coalition members in Arusha met with journalists and presented a statement condemning the murder of the girl on behalf of the Women, children, and Girls’ coalition. Speaking to the journalists, the coalition members said that they strongly condemn the killing of the girl Nanyoli Mohee (22) of the Masai tribe who was brutally beaten with a stick by a man where she suffered injuries that eventually caused her death.

"We are saddened and hurt by this cruel incident which is a continuation of acts of violence against children, girls and women, which is going on in various parts of the country where it is against the law and the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania,” said Mary Laizer

• Through the statement, the big questions that they are asking are; How many girls should be killed for refusing to be forced to marry, for the responsible ministry TAMISEMI to see the importance of instructing Village/Street governments to put in place procedures to protect female children from acts of violence? • Until how many female children are killed for refusing to be forced to marry at a young age, then the Ministry of Constitution and Law will see the importance of amending the Marriage Act of 1971? • How long will all communities in all areas of Tanzania see the importance of taking appropriate action without delay to prevent female children from being hurt and/or killed because of forced marriage?

They stressed that, without important steps being taken, children will continue to be subjected to sexual violence and lose their lives. Therefore, Parliament has the responsibility to make changes to the Marriage Act of 1971.

"We propose to the relevant authorities to take these cases seriously and ensure that investigations are carried out either by creating a commission with the authority to investigate these reported cases of violence”

It was reported that Nanyoli was brutally killed due to her refusal to live with a man whom the girl's parents wanted to forcefully marry her. The girl refused to be forced to marry and ran away from her parent's house and lived in the forest. But on 06 February 2024, a person who knows her, caught her and returned to her parents' home, and then his father called the man who gave the dowry Amyor Mathayo, a Maasai from the village of Endepes to come and take her away and that's when he carried out the brutality.

From the press conference media houses reported the case and slowly the discussion is picking up. Community members are sharing that cases of this type are many in their communities. Its only because they are not reported Generally, the women girls, and children's rights stakeholders are continuing to discuss strategies on the way forward for the ongoing girl's acts of violence as a result of forced marriages. This is because cases of girl violence due to forced marriage are continuing to be reported from different parts of the country.

To read more about the Coalition Press Statement click this link

https://ipf-website.s3.eu-west-3.amazonaws.com/TAMKO_LA_TAPO_LA_WANAWAKE_NA_WASICHANA_KULAANI_KUUWAWA_KWA_MSICHANA_NANYOLI_4ff855a0f7.pdf