Violence Against Women in Lake Victoria Zone; A case of Tarime District, Tanzania

Abstract

Violence against Women is a global challenge affecting the survivors of violence, their families and the country at large. While prevention is inevitable for the wellbeing of a nation, yet its preventive measures are vested in hands of entities with limited capacity to handle. This study was conducted in Tarime, a district located in Lake Victoria Zone with the aim of investigating violence against women. Specifically, the study examined the women’s experience of violence; explored the domains under which most form of violence occurs in the household, examined the determinants of violence against women and analysed the current preventive mechanism. A random sample of 97 households were used. From these households all women aged 15 years and above were interviewed making a total of 149 interviewees. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and binary regression techniques. Finding revealed that: nearly all women had experienced at least any form of violence in their life time and a substantial proportion of women experienced violence in the past 12 months before the period of this survey. The less targeted, less extreme and those violence acts which lacked substantial public discourse were mostly reported to have been experienced by most women. Violence were more severe among women aged between 20-34; Increase in age by one year as well as being a child to the household head decreased the likelihood of respondents reporting to have experienced violence acts. Protection committees were not created as proposed by NPA-VAWC.[1] Basing on the findings, this study recommends increasing programs of awareness creation for community transformation; establish protection entities as per NPA-VAWC guideline; design and use Strategies and action plan to guide implementation. Enhance the capacity local leaders to handle violence cases and establish a harmonized system for capturing currently unreported reported incidences of violence cases.