Prevalence of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the country correlates to HIV prevalence and curbing the former will help reduce incidents of the latter.
Speaking at a reflection workshop yesterday in Iringa, Dr Mwaluko Kongola, a Gender Based Violence (GBV) Technical Advisor at EngenderHealth said GBV has a direct relationship with HIV transmission due to incidents of unsafe sexual behaviour, forced marriages, rape and female genital mutilation (FGM all of which create potential for infection.
“It is our hope that together we can help improve the quality of life, reduce the impact of HIV as well as contribute to broader health promotion in the country,” he said.
He went on to commend the U.S. Government, through the United States Embassy in Tanzania and United Agency for International Development (USAID), for its support to EngenderHealth led campaign to end gender based violence (GBV) and violence against children (VAC) in Iringa.
The campaign objective is to reach males aged 18-25 living in Iringa Municipal to raise their awareness on GBV and VAC.
“The campaign includes a mural writing activity where men and the general public will be invited to write actions they would take against GBV,” he added.
25 November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence that culminated yesterday, significantly marking the International Human Rights Day.
According to the 2010 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) about ten per cent of women aged 15-49 in Tanzania report their first sexual intercourse been forced against their will.
29.2 per cent of women in the Southern Highlands have experienced sexual violence, while in Iringa Region the incidence prevalence is at 11.0 per cent.
Twelve per cent of women have experienced physical violence during pregnancy in the Southern Highlands, while in Iringa Region the figure is 4.6 per cent.
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