Homera calls for GBV, child abuse reporting

DODOMA: MINISTER for Constitution and Legal Affairs Dr Juma Homera has called on communities to report Gender Based Violence (GBV) and violence against children instead of remaining silent, saying delayed action can leave survivors with lasting harm.

Speaking on Wednesday while opening the GBV Survivor Exhibition in Dodoma, Dr Homera said every report of violence should be treated seriously while protecting survivors’ dignity, privacy and safety.

“My call to the community is not to turn a blind eye to gender-based violence. Let us respect the dignity, safety and privacy of survivors. We must take every report of genderbased violence seriously and act without delay,” he said.

The exhibition brought together testimonies from 26 survivors from Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Dodoma, collected between August 2025 and June 2026, to raise awareness of survivors’ experiences and strengthen access to justice and support services.

Dr Homera said the testimonies showed that violence was often sustained not only by perpetrators but also by silence, negligence and failure by families, communities and institutions to respond promptly.

“In many cases, the harm is not caused by one person alone, but is sustained by the environment surrounding survivors at home, school, workplaces, in the community and within systems that are supposed to protect them,” he said.

He urged parents to spend more time communicating with their children and understanding the challenges they face, saying the growing use of mobile phones and social media should not replace parental engagement.

The minister also encouraged the public to report cases through Police Gender and Children Desks, OneStop Centres at health facilities and social welfare and community development officers.

Dr Homera further called for harmful cultural practices to be abandoned, citing the alleged practice of widow “cleansing” reported in some parts of Tanga.

“We do not reject our culture, but sometimes we need to follow current procedures because life has changed,” he said.

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He said the government was strengthening protection and justice systems through initiatives including the antichild trafficking task force, which had assisted 233 survivors by February this year, and the second phase of the Mama Samia Legal Aid Campaign, which is expanding legal education and GBV awareness in Zanzibar, Dodoma and Shinyanga.

Speaking on behalf of GIZ Tanzania, Legal Advisor, Mr Tarek Bashour said the exhibition was designed to ensure survivors’ voices were heard and acted upon.

“Treat every report seriously, confidentially and put the survivor’s dignity and safety at the centre,” he said.

Meanwhile, Women Action Towards Economic Development (WATED) representative Mr Hamisa Rajabu proposed establishing a National Survivors Council to ensure survivors help shape policies, protection systems and support services.

“Survivors should be active participants in building solutions, making recommendations for improvement and leading changes that respond to their actual needs,” she said.