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

2. Local Government Authorities
Tanzania has a decentralized, multi-sectoral governance system which extends from the
village to the regional level. While Tanzania has a long history of local governance, the
current system is relatively new, based largely on the CCM election manifesto (1995) and
the Local Government Reform Agenda (1996). According to a GoT policy paper on local
government reform, LGAs have the following responsibilities: “social development and
public service provision within their jurisdiction, facilitation of maintenance of law and order
and issues of national importance such as education, health, water, roads and agriculture.”
The discussion here includes only LGAs responsible for the direct provision of social services.
Survivors of violence turn to their local leaders primarily for advice, referrals (within the
local government hierarchy as well as to healthcare facilities), and marital reconciliation
services. In addition, some officials provide “temporary shelters,” although these are
informal arrangements that often pose risk to both the survivor and provider (see subsection
5 below for more details). The system is clearly structured; the entry point for a
help seeker is often the lowest-level representative, the Ten Cell Leader, who is selected
from among a cluster of ten houses (more common in rural areas). While Ten Cell leaders
were often cited as resource points for GBV services during the interviews, they are typically
considered to be “informal” sources of support. As the hierarchy suggests, Ten Cell leaders
offer the most basic level of care. If a help seeker is unsatisfied with the recommendations
given by the Ten Cell leader, she can begin the process of appealing up the chain (with
referral letters required at each step) 17 —to the village (Village Executive Officer or Street
Leader in urban areas), ward (Ward Executive Officer and Ward-level Community
Development Officer) and district levels (Social Welfare Officer). As one moves through the
system, the LGAs become more powerful in terms of negotiating settlements, mandating
payments (e.g., to compensate a woman whose property has been destroyed, or as a token
reparation for the violence, for example, giving the survivor a khanga or kitenge 18 ), and
requiring an alleged perpetrator to attend reconciliation sessions. This process is
summarized in Table 2.
17 While women may occasionally receive assistance from an LGA without a referral letter, in general, this
hierarchy is respected and the established protocol is followed. Without a referral letter, a higher-level
official will offer services only if adequate justification can be given and extenuating circumstances
presented.
18 The khanga and kitenge are traditional printed cotton garments worn by women wrapped around the
chest or waist, over the head as a headscarf, or used as a baby sling.
Help-Seeking Pathways and Barriers for Survivors of GBV in Tanzania March 2013
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