Help-Seeking Pathways and Barriers for ... - EngenderHealth

Part I: Background
A. Context of GBV in Tanzania
During the last few decades, gender-based violence (GBV) has gained international
recognition as a grave social and human rights concern. In Tanzania, GBV is widespread. In
the 2010 TDHS, over 20% of Tanzanian women aged 15-49 years reported having
experienced sexual violence in their lifetime and nearly 40% reported having experienced
physical violence. 2 The same survey showed that 44% of ever-married women had
experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime.
Disaggregated data for GBV among women in the regions examined in the current study are
shown in Table 1. A nationally representative survey of violence against children also found
that nearly 75% of girls and boys had experienced physical violence (either by an adult or
intimate partner) by the age of 18 years, and that nearly 3 in 10 girls had experienced
sexual violence before reaching adulthood. 3
Table 1: Prevalence of physical and sexual violence by region, women aged
15-49 years
Region Ever experienced physical violence Ever experienced sexual violence
All Tanzania 38.7% 20.3%
Dar es Salaam 31.8% 24.1%
Iringa 42.3% 26.5%
Mbeya 48.8% 30.8%
Source: NBS et al. (2011).
Despite this high prevalence of violence, formal support services for survivors are
inadequate. Although there is a growing awareness of GBV and increased efforts at a policy
level to address the issue, survivors’ access to health, psychosocial, and legal services
remains limited. For example, there are few known shelters for survivors in Tanzania and
these are predominantly located in Dar es Salaam. 4 Moreover, an overall shortage of trained
medical professionals in the country has implications for the availability of GBV-specific
care.
To increase the availability and quality of services available to survivors of GBV in Dar es
Salaam, Iringa, and Mbeya, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)
has launched a multi-sectoral intervention based on five key pillars: 1) services; 2)
prevention and community protection; 3) advocacy; 4) coordination; and 5) research and
evaluation.
2 NBS et al. (2011).
3 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), & Muhimbili
University of Health and Allied Services (MUHAS). (2011). Violence against children in Tanzania: Findings
from a National Survey 2009. Dar es Salaam: UNICEF, CDC, & MUHAS. August 2011.
4 Betron, M. (2008). Gender-based violence in Tanzania: An assessment of policies, programs, and
promising interventions. Washington, D.C.: USAID Health Policy Initiative.
Help-Seeking Pathways and Barriers for Survivors of GBV in Tanzania March 2013
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