DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- UN Women, the United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, is working in partnership with the government of Tanzania in the fight against gender-based violence, a senior official said on Sunday.
"Since this collaboration has started to be implemented cases of gender-based violence have started to drop down significantly," said Faustine Ndugulile, Tanzania's Deputy Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children.
The official said at least 41,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported in 2017 countrywide but following joints efforts between the UN Women and the government the cases have started to go down.
"UN Women in collaboration with the government of Tanzania has helped the country in the fight against gender-based violence to women and children, and so far the cases have decreased significantly," he told a three-day seminar on children's rights organized by the UN Women to Members of Parliament.
The UN Women in Tanzania organized the seminar in the capital Dodoma sensitize MPs on how best their constituents could take part in the fight against gender-based violence.
Ndugulile said the government was currently implementing a five year strategic plan 2017/2018-2021/2022 aimed at seeking all possible solutions on gender-based violence.
Ndugulile urged MPs to help in ending myths and negative cultural beliefs in communities that were fueling gender-based violence.
He said the government has introduced paralegals in order to provide legal aid to victims of gender-based violence, adding that the paralegals have helped in bringing perpetrators of gender-based violence to justice.
UN Women is working to develop and uphold standards and create an environment in which every woman and girl can exercise her human rights and live up to her full potential.
