Tanzania: Govt has measures to achieve gender equality

By Khalila Abdul and Yusuf Ahmadi

Dar es Salaam, 24 August: The Tanzania government has put in place several measures in a quest to achieve gender equality by 2030. Speaking at the Gender and News Summit Minister of Constitution and Legal Affairs, Professor Palamagamba Kabudi urged people to reflect on how far the country has come in trying to improve the lives of women and girls.

Kabudi said that, tax exemption on sanitary towels on 2018/19 government budget, Village land Act, legal Aid Act and Tanzania Development vision of 2025 are among the initiatives taken by the government towards gender equality.

Kabudi who was the guest of honour at the summit added that the government will continue to do more on combating gender based violence and empowering women and children.

Also present at the summit, Deputy Minister for health, community development, gender, elderly and children, Faustine Ndugulile said that the fifth-phase government’s move on provision of free education to primary and Secondary Schools is a way to gender equality.

Ndugulile says that move will enable girls to be enrolled at schools at high rate and hence to get education.

Gender activist and former Minister in Tanzania, Getrude Mongella says that the country has made great stride in combating gender and urged for more efforts to be taken to break the glass ceiling.

Participants at the summit called on government to take more stern measures to combat gender-based violence which still persists in the country.

Expressing their opinion on the 2018 Gender and News Summit Vicky Mtara says that many women still facie gender discrimination and wanting the government and society to punish the culprits.

Winnie Renatus says that according to the articles presented on the summit, gender discrimination is a ghost which still haunting the country. Click here to listen to the podcast on what the participants think

Yusuf Ahmadi and Khalila Abdul are both students from the University of Dar es Salaam School of Journalism and Media Studies. This article is part of the GL News and Blogs service coverage of the Gender and News Summit.