BoNgo Ya leO

A surge in reports of rape, torture and kidnapping of girls in Tanzania shows that the introduction of specialist units in police stations is giving survivors confidence to report these crimes, a senior official has said.

However, critics said police need to do more to secure prosecutions in the country where nearly one in three girls experiences sexual abuse before the age of 18, according to the United Nations children's fund.

They also stressed that the number of crimes reported represents only the tip of the iceberg as most victims of sexual violence do not speak up   for   fear   of   stigmatisation.

In Tanzania's main city, Dar es Salaam, there were 519 reports of violence against girls in the first nine months of this year - 67 percent higher than for the whole of 2013.

"These figures suggest that our desks have had a huge impact since abuse victims are now more willing to come forward and tell their stories without fear," Christine Onyango, the police officer in charge of gender and children's affairs, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

It is the first time Tanzania's government has released such data since it introduced 200 so-called Gender and Children's Desks last year, making it easier for survivors to report abuse to specially trained female officers.

Rape was the most common form of violence against girls, according to statistics published last week, with sharp increases in reports of all types of crimes.

Stepmothers were most frequently cited for torturing girls while kidnappings were carried out by unknown assailants for witchcraft or ransom.

The Tanzania Media Women's Association (TAMWA), which advocates for women's rights, called on the government to do more to secure prosecutions.

"If security organs and responsible ministries take action against perpetrators of such inhuman acts against children, the country will be a peaceful place to live," it said in a statement.

Happiness Bagambi, a programme officer with TAMWA, also called for members of the public to be educated on the preservation of evidence after sexual assaults.

"Very few people have the courage to take their raped children to police or hospital without (them) being bathed," she said. "The evidence is lost and, if the case proceeds, ends up nowhere."
 

Executive Chairman of Tanzania Aids Commission, (TACAIDS), Dr Fatma Mrisho (R), at news conference in her office in Dar es Salaam yesterday. December 1 World AIDS Day at national level will be held in Njombe. On her
Njombe Region now leads in terms of HIV prevalence with 14.8 percent, according to the Tanzania Commission for Aids (TACAIDS).

This is according to Third Tanzania HIV and Malaria Indicator Survey (THMIS III) 2011 –2012, TACAIDS Executive Director Dr Fatma Mrisho told media personnel in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

Njombe is followed by Iringa Region 9.1 with per cent and Mbeya Region 9.0 per cent while the lowest prevalence is recorded in Manyara Region at 1.5 percent.

She warned HIV victims to stop using alternative medicines for treatment, urging them to continue using the prescribed ARV and other counseling measures.
Her warning comes ahead of Tanzania joining other nations to mark Aids Day on December 1.

Mrisho noted however that that regardless of Njombe having 14.8 per cent HIV prevalence, the country is doing well as the overall rate declined from 5.7 in 2007/08 to 5.1 per cent in 2012.

“But the prevalence is higher among individuals with regular income than those without. This is according to “Third Tanzania HIV and Malaria Indicator Survey (THMIS III) 2011 – 2012,” she said.

The percentage rate of HIV prevalence in various Tanzanian locations is as follows, according to the survey:

Shinyanga 7.4 per cent, Ruvuma 7.0 per cent , Dar es Salaam 6.9 per cent , Rukwa 6.2 per cent , Katavi5.9 percent ,Coast 5.9 per cent, Tabora 5.1, Kagera 4.8, Geita 4.7, Mara 4.5, Mwanza 4.2, Mtwara 4.1,Kilimanjaro 3.8 percent, Morogoro 3.8 per cent , Simiyu 3.6 per cent , Kigoma 3.4 per cent, Singida 3.3 per cent , Arusha 3.2 per cent , Dodoma 2.9 per cent , Lindi 2.9per cent , Tanga 2.4 per cent , Manyara 1.5 per cent, Unguja 1.2 per cent  and Pemba 0.3 per cent.

Mrisho said they are aware of patients who, due to little understanding of the impact of disease, stop using medical treatment and shift to alternative treatment which is not good for their health,” she said.

The chairman added that 99.8 per cent of Tanzanians are aware of HIV though some do not trust medical treatment, noting that much expectation is in health education on how to stay free from HIV and how to use medicines for those who are affected.

Customers at different city markets in the city have raised their concerns over Weights and Measure machines (WMA) being used by retailers and vendors of food products saying such machines do not depict the true weight of their purchased products.

A week long survey by The Guardian in Dar es Salaam discovered that buyers weighing their products in kilograms were claiming that most of such machines have been tampered to the benefits of vendors.

The survey discovered that a number of shopkeepers, butcher men and regular vendors at the major markets in the city were among those tampering with weight and measure machines to cheat customers of their products.

Hamisi Habibu, a regular customer of food items at Kipunguni market in the city told The Guardian that butchers were among few places where such weight deception is being observed.

Farmers have for long raised their concerns over the issue saying such a trend was weakening their efforts in the field, denying their income and also impoverishing their lives at the interest of few deceptive business men.

However, WMA’s Public Relations Officer, Rehema Rashid said they are still conducting their routine survey to nab deceitful traders in the city.

She said during the first quarter of 2014/15 financial year, at least 160 traders were arrested and fined in different parts of Dar es Salaam for tampering with weight and measures machines for self benefits.

Three months ago, the WMA Chief Executive Officer, Magdalena Chuwa was quoted in the local media admitting the agency’s facing serious shortage of staff to conduct such a supervision operation upcountry on timely basis to nab deceitful traders.

WMA is an agency working under the umbrella of the Ministry of Trade and Industry charged with consumer protection through measuring systems in order to ensure fair trade transactions by protecting consumers.
 

Failure by the government to release budget reports to its citizens has limited access of information to the majority citizens in making follow-ups about the country’s development projects.

THE Open Budget Survey  (OBS) tracker being managed by International Budget Partnership (IBP) in collaboration with HakiElimu has revealed that such failures of releasing such reports has left a critical gap in the public’s ability on how their funds are being managed.

The move has also denied the public to ultimately assess how well the essential services such as health, education are being delivered.
The OBS tracker is a tool that provides regular monthly updates on whether the central government in respective countries publishes each of the key budget documents on time as per international standards.

HakiElimu Acting Executive Director Godfrey Boniventura who is also managing the OBS Tracker in Tanzania said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the government was mandated to releasing eight budget reports every fiscal year as per international standards.

Boniventura said so far only five reports have been released failing short of three reports from 2012/13 and 2013/14 financial years.

“Failure of the citizens to ask on how their funds are being used denies them access to question on how such funds are being used on different development projects which have failed to be implemented.

He said such remaining budget reports have not yet been released since 2012 to 2014 financial year, yet still some were untimely published, making the Tanzania among five countries that failed to publish such reports including Nigeria, Niger, Iran and Timor Leste.

The OBS tracker requires that the first quarter of such reports be issued by September 30, with the second quarter being issued by December 30, the third quarter should be issued by March 30, while the last quarter by June 30.

According to OBS, such reports need to have a comprehensive update on the implementation of the budget including a review of economic assumptions underlying the budget. OBS is an independent, regular, and comparative assessment of budget transparency and participation worldwide conducted every two years.

It measures the amount of budget information a country's central government makes publicly available, whether it engages citizens in budget processes, and the strength of formal oversight institutions.

The Tanzania Roads Agency (TANROADS) management in Coast Region said yesterday it will construct a one-kilometre road between Mpuyani and Kazimzumbwi in Kisarawe District to tarmac level as soon as a contractor is found.

TANROADS Regional Manager Tumaini Sarakikya said already a tender has been announced to get the contractor for the project.

Feasibility study and designs of the road project are  complete but Sarakikya
added that the cost would be known after getting the contractor.

The project is an extension  of more than ten kilometres  of the regional roads that had been constructed at tarmac level few years ago between Pugu Kajiungeni and Mpuyani area via Kisarawe town along Dar es Salaam/ Vikumburu  road in the district.

 “Feasibility study and designs are also being undertaken to establish the cost of construction of other roads and know if the projects would be useful and significantly able to pay the cost,” he said.

The regional roads in the district include Mlandizi/ Maneromango via Mzenga, Mpuyani /Kiluvya and Pugu Kajiungeni/ Vikumburu via Maneromango,  Msanga and Chole  most of which are muddy except the Pugu Kajiungeni/ Mpuyani via Kisarawe town stretch.

Despite the directives from the World Health Organization (WHO) requiring all HIV/AIDS victims whose cluster of differentiation 4, (CD4s) counts rates at 500 to be put on antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, experts have cautioned that such an exercise is costly for the country.

The Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS), Director Policy, Planning and Research, Dr Raphael Kalinga warned that the country is not prepared to allow such an increased access of patients to access ARV’s considering that each victim spends at least $60
0 annually for the exercise.

Dr Kalinga was speaking mid this week, during the HIV and AIDS policy review meeting organised by TACAIDS, in collaboration with local and foreign health experts in Dar es Salaam.

He said such a directive from the WHO was good at ensuring that HIV and AIDS victims’ lives are saved at an early stage of their infection.

“It is too early to adopt that in Tanzania because of financial constraints. Victims are required to use ARVs throughout their lives which is costly, he said adding that without other health related projects to be implemented on specific time frame, such an initiative would be possible”

The doubts on WHO’s directives came after the representative from a key donor, the Global Fund’s Dr Michelle Roland confirmed that Tanzania will be unable to acquire the whole fund it requested for HIV/AIDS activities in the coming three years, starting from 2015.

She said the country will only get $286million out of the $485million it requested from the Global Fund causing a deficit of $199million saying the limited access to such a support will be caused by requests from other countries.

She however advised the country to direct such funds on helping special groups such as children, women and disabled.

Commenting on how the government struggles to fill the $199million shortfalls in order to reach more HIV/AIDS victims, the Director of Finance and Administration with TACAIDS, Beng’i Issa said the government was looking forward to introducing AIDS Trust Fund next year.

He urged stakeholders to come forth and help governments’ initiatives in ensuring that such services reach the majority victims because the scheme is not for the government alone.

For his side, the Chairperson of the National Council for People Living with HIV and AIDS (NACOPHA), Vitalis Makayula, said the $199miilion deficit was insignificant to reach patients with 500 CD4s count, because it will involve over 1.6 million Tanzanians living with the virus.

“At no point in time has HIV/AIDS victims been ever smoothly reached. If a certain group experiences shortage of ARVs, the other suffers from ARVs side effects while there is no substitute for their doses” he said.  

He said previously, ARVs were for HIV/AIDS victims whose CD4s counts stood at 200, and at that point the government failed to reach half of the 600,000 patients living with the virus.

“Three year back, we announced that victims with 350 CD4s count should also use ARVs, this worsened the situation in term of service delivery considering that all ARVs services are donor funded. Now, how will the state be once there is an expansion to cover patients with 500 CD4s count?” he queried.

He cautioned that the directive if implemented will likely deteriorate the health status of the majority victims even those previously on ARV’s, thus leading to loss of lives caused by scramble for the few available tablets.

“While administering victims with CD4 200count, patients were told to eat a balanced diet, this principle should be maintained and be promoted to those patients with CD4 350 and 500 instead of rushing them into using ARV’s” he insisted.

The Civil Society Organization National Steering Committee on HIV and AIDS Response (CSONSC), Agnes Junga said the government needs first to improve its internal sources of incomes such as in gas, tourism, ports and others and use such funds in supporting HIV/AIDS victims.

“We need financial stability and not donor dependency if we are to ensure that all the victims are entitled to ARV’s. Experts argue that if the drug is used by the victims for three consecutive years, it is capable of suppressing the virus, stop the disease progress and could also lead to incapability of the infected victims to spread new infections.

Welbeck, 23, who had been at Old Trafford since the age of eight, joined Arsenal for £16m in September.
The England international is in line to face his former side when they visit the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
"When he left Manchester United it was a shock. He has got pace to get behind teams and create gaps for others to exploit," Ince told BBC Radio 5 live.
"I think it was a bad, bad decision to let him go. He offers something different to what Manchester United have got.
"They haven't got pace - (Wayne) Rooney is not the quickest, neither is (Robin) van Persie and (Radamel) Falcao is injured.
"Since he has gone to Arsenal his performances have been fantastic. I don't think he has got anything to prove to Manchester United."
Welbeck scored 29 times in 142 United appearances, but since his move he has found the net five times for the Londoners in 12 appearances.
Rooney believes his former club-mate did the right thing by leaving United to join Arsenal.
"For Danny, and his own career, it was probably the best move for him," United captain Rooney told MUTV  ahead of Saturday's trip to the Emirates.
"He's done great and scored a few goals. Danny gives you what he always gives you - a good shift."
Rooney, who played alongside Welbeck for England against Slovenia and Scotland in the recent international break, admits it will be strange playing against his former team-mate.
"Of course, Danny has been here all of his life," Rooney added. "He is a Manchester lad so it is weird seeing him there.
"At times, as I said to him, he works a bit too hard but he's scoring goals and he's doing well."
United have yet to win an away game in the Premier League this season and are seventh in the Premier League, one place and one point below Arsenal.
"Arsenal have got a good squad, an exciting squad with a lot of young players and a lot of English players which is great for England," he said. "We know they play with a lot of energy and we'll have to be at our best to beat them.
"It's always a tight game and whoever gets the first goal normally wins or gets a result."
Fixtures between Manchester United and Arsenal have proved highly competitive affairs down the years, with both teams often competing for the Premier League title.
However, Ince believes the encounters have lost a bit of their sparkle in recent years.
"Arsenal v Manchester United is always a massive game - history shows they have been fiery occasions. But when I look at the two sides now they don't carry the same calibre of players as they used to," added the 47-year-old.
"We always wanted to see the likes of (Roy) Keane, (Patrick) Vieira and (Tony) Adams, and look at what kind of battles would go ahead in that game. Now it doesn't carry as much substance."