VICE-PRESIDENT
Samia Suluhu Hassan has directed the country’s judiciary to find ways
of handling criminal cases facing women and children with special
consideration because there are some invisible catalysts that prompt the
vulnerable groups into acts which put them in trouble.
“Women and children are more susceptible
to social injustice, poverty and stigma… therefore when they appear in
courts of law, judges, lawyers and magistrates need to look beyond the
initial presentation and go deeper to discern the core cause of the
matter,” she said.
Mama Samia was speaking here shortly after
opening a joint conference on ‘Gender and the Judiciary in Africa,’
organised by the Tanzania’s Judiciary and the World Bank, a three-day
gathering taking place at the Simba Plenary Hall of the Arusha
International Conference Center (AICC).
She said gender-related issues such as
gender-based violence were a long-term problem in the contemporary world
which needs immediate national, regional and international
interventions.
On her part, the World Bank’s country
director, Ms Bella Bird said that in dealing with many of the legal
issues, gender equality and an effective judiciary were both essential
to achievingeconomic development and building strong societies.
“The World Bank runs development projects
valued at $4.5bn across Tanzania … so proper dispensing of justice is
vital for the realisation of the country’s Development Vision 2015,”
said Ms Bird.
The Senior Vice-President of the World
Bank group, Ms Sandie Okoro said there were limitations facing married
women’s legal capacity in Africa, arguing wedlock often stifle their
freedom and decision-making, while also serving as platforms for
domestic violence.
“One-third of all women in Africa are
subjected to physical, sexual and intimate forms of violence, with
majority of them compelled to suffer in silence as local laws with
strong traditional and cultural roots draw curtains to their
predicaments,” she said.
Running under the theme; ‘Building an
effective, Accountable and Inclusive Judiciary,’ the meeting has brought
together chief justices, judges, magistrates and other stakeholders to
discuss ways in which the judiciary could not just guarantee the
fundamental right of every woman to live free of discrimination and
violence, but also promote women’s vital role in social and economic
development.
Participants are addressing topics related
to the role of the courts in Africa especially in addressing gender
within the judiciary; women’s access to justice and Gender-based
violence and issues of social and economic development.
The conference aims at sharing
understanding of challenges, international good practices as well as
innovative approaches and gender-specific strategies to advance judicial
sector development, traversing topics on human rights, social and
economic development, and fostering dialogue within the global
community.
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