MARA: More than 200 police officers from all regions of Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar dealing with gender and children desks on Monday visited the Kiabakari Home of Safety Centre where girls who have escaped acts of violence and female genital mutilation (FGM) are housed in Butiama district, Mara region.
The centre is owned by a non-governmental organisation, Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania (HGWT), to protect girl children who have been subjected to violence in their homes, including being forced to undergo the out-dated tradition of women circumcision.
The police officers praised the not-for-profit organisation for protecting the girls against violence, educating them on their human rights and hazards of gender violence plus psychological counselling.
The organisation is also equipping the girls with job skills that would in turn enable them become self-reliant in their lives.
Addressing the girls, SSP Anitha Semwano from the Dar es Salaam-based Police College praised them for their heroic decisions of running away from their homes and seeking refuge to avoid undergoing genital mutilation.]
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She appealed to the girls to understand their plight and to use the available opportunity at their protection centres to become future dependable citizens.
“I’m happy to see you enjoying life here. I congratulate the centre’s director, Rhobi Samwelly, for the good services and humane care extended to you. She’s doing a commendable job of instilling confidence in you despite your big number here,” SSP Anitha said.
She appealed to the community as a whole to continue waging a relentless campaign against gender violence and FGM as these inhuman acts are abhorrent in a civilised society.
On her part, Samwelly praised the police force in Mara region dealing with the gender and children desk for working tirelessly to contain the vice of oppressing women and girls.
She revealed that from December 1 to 10 her organisation has received 246 girls who have run away from their homes because of escaping to undergo genital mutilation. The girls are being protected at the organisation’s centres.
Speaking to the police officers, Rhobi Mwita, one of the girls under HGWT protection, appealed to the law enforcers to continue protecting the welfare of girl children experiencing harassment in the society.
The police officers heard various testimonies of girls being harassed by their families and forced to undergo the ritual of genital mutilation.
