State and non-state actors have pledged to work together to address escalating acts of violence against women and children in Arusha region.
Recent statistics indicate a 22 per cent rise in violence against children alone during 2019/2020 compared to the previous year.
During the period under review, a total of 1,256 children were molested, of whom 1,085 were girls and 171 boys compared to 988 cases in 2018/2019.
"This is an increase of 22 per cent", said the regional administrative secretary (RAS) Richard Kwitega during a recent stakeholders' meeting.
The meeting discussed the findings of anti-female genital mutilation (FGM) project by DSW Tanzania, youth and development organization based here.
The project which ended this month targeted girl children in four wards in Arusha district council, one of the local authorities in Arumeru district.
Surveys also indicated that during 2019/2020, a total of 1,302 women were sexually assaulted in various parts of the vast region.
"The problem is much more serious than we thought", he told an array of the stakeholders from the government, NGOs and the media.
Mr. Kwitega doubles as the regional chairperson of the National Plan of Action to End Violence Against Women and Children.
He appealed for joint efforts by the government institutions, the social workers, NGOs and the local leaders to address the FGM problem, in particular.
"Our concern should focus on FGM whose ripple effects on the health and progress of the young girls is monumental", he said.
Peter Owaga, DSW Tanzania director, said the anti-FGM fight is undertaken sensitization of the communities on reproductive health lessons.
The youths, in particular, are being engaged through supporting them to set up income generation projects to make them self reliant entrepreneurs.
"Our main target is girl child", he stressed, noting that plans were afoot to extend the project to Longido district (Arusha( and Dodoma region next year.
A senior official from the Health ministry Mr. Erasto Chingoro said the escalating cases of FGM and gender-based violence was a matter of concern not to be taken lightly.
He said while the national average of FGM cases stood at 10 per cent, the problem was notorious in the northern and central regions.
He quoted recent statistics which indicated Manyara as the leading with 58 percent of women having been circumcised, followed by Dodoma 47 percent.
They are followed by Arusha (41 per cent), Mara (32 percent), Singida (31 percent), Tanga (14 percent), Kilimanjaro (10 percent and Morogoro (nine percent).
Other regions in the top ten, according to the 201502016 survey, are Iringa (eight percent),Njombe (seven percent), Coast (five per cent) and Dar es Salaam four per cent.
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