Mimutie Launches Anti-GBV Coalition for Indigenous Communities

In a bid to eliminate gender-based violence within indigenous communities, Mimutie, a women's rights organization, launched an Anti GBV Coalition for indigenous communities (CAIC-Tanzania), in Arusha recently.

The launch was conducted during a two-day training on gender-based violence for organizations dedicated to prevent GBV within indigenous communities at Lush Garden Hotel in Arusha from the 4th to the 5th of July 2023.

The activity, implemented under the project “Linking the chain to end GBV against women and children in pastoral communities” and funded by WFTT, was attended by eight organizational leaders and community representatives from indigenous communities.

Speaking during the event, Rose Njilo, the Executive Director for Mimutie highlighted that the purpose of the two-day event was to establish a coalition and provide training to NGOs working on preventing GBV within indigenous communities.

She said that the Coalition's primary aim is to comprehensively eliminate GBV within indigenous communities and foster an environment where instances of violence are non-existent.

“The coalition will function as a forum that unifies NGOs and individuals dedicated to prevent gender-based violence against women and children within indigenous communities in Tanzania,” Njilo said.

She further pointed out that while many organizations in Arusha are dedicated to GBV prevention; the challenge lies in the absence of a platform that unifies themand resource constraints faced by many organizations in their implementation efforts. She underlined that the Coalition's collaborative efforts would facilitate shared implementation strategies, enabling both organizations and individuals to operate effectively at a higher level.

"We have formed this Coalition to amplify the strength of our GBV fight within our community. Moreover, the Coalition is committed to extending its influence to include broader areas in Tanzania, encompassing a variety of communities,” Njilo added.

CAIC Tanzania boasts of a membership that includes diverse organizations, ranging from women-led entities to Maasai organizations, media outlets, youth groups, and more. At present, the coalition comprises ten organizations situated in Arusha.

Also during the event, several in-depth discussions were conducted on how to address challenges that the indigenous community in Tanzania faces, the influence of religion on GBV and strategies to combat violence.

On the other hand, religious leaders provided insights into the directives of their respective faiths that discourage GBV. However, it was acknowledged that numerous cases of violence are reported within religious contexts.

Mimutie is a women's rights organization seeking to promote the rights and voices of women and girls from pastoralist communities, particularly the Maasai in Ngorongoro, Arusha, Simanjiro, Longido, and Monduli.