Tradition’s blade steals girls’ futures in Tanzania

TARIME: FOR generations, thousands of girls across Tanzania have been forced to trade their childhood for marriage. Behind every statistic lies a story of interrupted education, stolen potential, and preventable suffering.

Among the strongest drivers of child marriage in Tanzania is female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice that signals a girl’s “readiness” for marriage regardless of her age.

Coordinator of the Tanzania End Child Marriage Network (TECMN) Advocate Irene Nambuo, say that unless FGM ends, child marriage will persist.

“We advocate for changes in laws and policies to eradicate child marriage. Our goal as a network is to ensure that no girl is married before the age of 18. But as we push for legal reform, we must also change social behavior abandoning traditions that fuel child marriage, such as female genital mutilation,” she asserts

Her message is clear: legislation alone cannot dismantle practices rooted in culture and community norms.

FGM involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It is typically performed on girls between infancy and adolescence and carries lifelong physical and psychological consequences.

The practice remains prevalent in several regions, including Arusha, Manyara, Mara, Singida, Dodoma, and Tanga. In many communities, FGM is viewed as a mandatory rite of passage into womanhood. Once cut, a girl is no longer seen as a child. She is considered ready for marriage.

For many, that transition comes swiftly and without consent. Bhoke, a young woman from Tarime District, remembers the day her childhood ended.

“I was also cut. In our tradition, once you are cut, you are considered an adult. That is why I was married at a young age. Soon after marriage, I became pregnant.”

She recalls severe bleeding during the procedure. Years later, she endured complications during childbirth.

“I tore badly when giving birth because of the scar. I bled heavily. It was terrifying.”

Her story reflects the hidden toll of FGM—excessive bleeding, infection, tetanus, chronic pain, childbirth complications, and psychological trauma. In extreme cases, girls die.

“I’ve seen girls being cut, some of them bleed heavily, when they come home some of them die, and when they die they are taken away along with their gifts and thrown away, they are not buried at home,” recounts Esther, a 16-year-old girl from Mbogi Village, who lives in Tarime district.

In 2024, she helped rescue more than one hundred girls at risk of being cut in her village—a powerful example of youth activism challenging deeply entrenched traditions.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 200 million women and girls worldwide have undergone FGM. Also, according to the Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) 2022, in Tanzania, prevalence remains high in certain regions—43 percent in Arusha and Manyara, 28 percent in Mara, and 20 percent in Singida.

Although FGM is illegal under Tanzanian law, the practice persists due to powerful cultural and economic pressures. In some communities, it is tied to ethnic identity and family honor. Families fear stigma or exclusion if they refuse.

There are also persistent myths that FGM preserves purity, improves marriage prospects, or ensures cleanliness—none supported by scientific evidence.

Economic incentives further entrench the practice. Families may receive higher bride prices for cut daughters, while traditional circumcisers depend on it for income.

As enforcement efforts have increased, FGM has adapted. Ceremonies are conducted at night. Some girls are cut as infants to prevent them from reporting. In certain cases, the procedure is quietly medicalized in health facilities, making detection even more difficult.

Legal prohibition alone has not been enough. Tanzania has criminalized FGM under the Penal Code and the Law of the Child Act and ratified international treaties protecting the rights of women and children.

Yet enforcement remains inconsistent, particularly in areas where traditional authority outweighs formal legal systems. Fear of retaliation, limited witness protection, and community silence undermine accountability.

Advocate Nambuo stresses that ending FGM is essential to ending child marriage because the two practices are closely intertwined.

Once a girl is cut, she is often withdrawn from school and prepared for marriage, shrinking her chances of education and economic independence. Education remains one of the strongest protective factors against child marriage, significantly reducing the risk of early pregnancy and gender-based violence.

Culture, she argues, is not static. “If people change, why can’t traditions change?” she asks. Abandoning FGM is not an attack on identity, it is a commitment to the wellbeing and future of girls.

Despite the challenges, change is emerging from within communities. Alternative rites of passage are replacing cutting with ceremonies that celebrate maturity without harm. These programs teach life skills, cultural values, and moral guidance while protecting girls’ health and rights.

Engaging traditional and religious leaders as advocates is critical, as their voices carry significant authority. Providing alternative livelihoods for former circumcisers reduces economic dependence on the practice. Strengthening child protection systems and ensuring safe reporting mechanisms empower families and girls to seek help.

In Tanzania, individuals at risk can report to village authorities, access gender and children’s desks at police stations.

Ending FGM and child marriage requires more than policy reform; it demands a shift in collective mindset.

Government institutions, civil society organizations, community leaders, parents, men, and boys all have a role to play. Harmful practices must give way to traditions that uphold dignity, health, and opportunity.

When girls are allowed to grow, stay in school, and choose their own futures, communities thrive. A Tanzania where no girl is married before eighteen and no child is cut in the name of culture is within reach.

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TECMN which was established by the Children’s Dignity Forum with technical and financial support from FORWARD UK, has for over 13 years continued to work with various stakeholders at all levels to increase awareness against child marriage and its consequences.

This is done by organizing community meetings, advocating for the amendment of the Marriage Act of 1971, building partnerships with religious and traditional leaders, forming youth clubs, conducting school visits, and providing continuous education through the media.