Poverty and Human Development Report 2009 - UNDP in Tanzania

Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse and harassment remain common violations of human rights in Tanzania, especially
of women and children. Hard data about the extent of sexual abuse and prosecution of these
offences are not yet available. Many cases of abuse are neither reported to the police, nor referred
by them to the courts.
Domestic Violence
The MKUKUTA indicator – ‘percentage of men and women who agree that a husband is justified
in hitting or beating his wife for a specific reason’ – was first reported by the THDS 2004/05.
These findings on public tolerance towards domestic violence were alarming; 60% of women
and 42% of men agreed that men are justified in beating their wives. New data are expected from
the next TDHS in 2009/10.
People’s Perceptions of Public Safety
In addition to the specific indicators under this goal, the Afrobarometer surveys provide valuable
data on people’s perceptions of personal and material security over time as well as trust in the
police and courts, which are key institutions in maintaining public safety and order.
Findings show a decline from 2003 to 2008 in the percentage of respondents who feared
becoming a victim of crime in their own home from 48% in 2003 to 37% in 2008 (Table 30).
Table 30: Citizens’ Level of Fear of Crime in Their Own Home (% of respondents)
Over the past year, how often, if ever, have you or anyone in your
family, feared crime in your own home?
2003 2005 2008
Never 51 67 63
Just once or twice 14 12 17
Several times/many times/always 34 21 20
Source: Afrobarometer 2003, 2005 and 2008
CHAPTER 1 - CLUSTER III - GOAL 5 & 6
This trend suggests some success on the part of law enforcement agencies, relevant ministries
and communities in preventing and combating crime since 2003. Citizens’ perceptions of fear of
crime correlate with findings about their actual experience of theft from their homes (Table 31).
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