Status of Children in Tanzania - 2012 - Tanzania Education Network ...

Call for Action
Child labour denies children fundamental rights such as access to education, health care,
protection, parental care, freedom for expression, right to be listened and protective safe
environment.
4.0 OVERVIEW OF CHILD RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN THE TARGET GROUP
4.1 General rights violated in the target group
In respect to children right, Tanzania has ratified the Convention on Children Right but since ratifying the CRC
and later the ACRWC Tanzania has done nothing in respect to child rights. Practical realties show that, child
torturing, inhuman or degrading treatment has been rampant in Tanzania as if the CRC, ACRWC, Constitution
and penal laws never exist. Every day we witness serious violations of children‟s rights as enshrined in the
CRC. Hundreds of children are not properly protected, some are detained, for example in 2010, 578 were
detained, and there were 13 babies with their mothers in detention. In police station, prison and detention
children are kept together with adults, by 2012, Arusha central prison had 26 children, Babati prison had 34
children, Singida prison had 17 children, Bukoba had 12 children, Muleba prison had 7 children, Keko remand
home 18 children, Moshi retention 10, Upanga retention home 15, Segerea 169. As noted putting children with
adults in prison or retention home is a loss of child protection. Interviews with children revealed that their rights
were being violated as shown in table 5 and 6 of this report.
Superficially, it is argued that Tanzania continues to enjoy peace, tranquillity and political stability. However,
that stability is a nightmare and is becoming under threat because of increasing violence caused by a greedy
and poverty, failure to understand the actual meaning of democracy, and subjecting children to untold,
inhuman and degrading treatment as if there was no law to protect them.
The main child‟s right violations faced by the children without parental care and at risk of losing parental care in
Tanzania are documented in table 6, which follows
Table 6: General Child rights violated in the target group
Broad areas Main child rights
violated
Describe risks & problems
children are facing
Nondiscrimination
(art. 2 of URC)
Detaining 441 children in
adult prison (407 boys
and 34 girls) –
(developmental rights)
Putting 80 children in
retentions homes (70
boys and 10 girls) –
(developmental rights)
Putting 50 children in
approved school–
(developmental rights)
Putting 179 children in
police stations among
these more than 70%
are being detained
longer than 24 hours
before being sent to
court.
(Developmental right)
Out of 179 children 42%
were not given chance
to contact their relatives
upon arrest.
(Developmental right)
57 out of 179 which is
32% had no legal
representation (Right to
be listened & protection)
Their being abused
physicalyl and sexually,
bitten, and tortured
Delaying access to justices,
no legal representation,
bitten, tortured, denied
food, water, lack of contact
with relatives, and acting as
child workers
Denied contact to
relative/family, and Living
condition very poor (case of
Irambo Tukuyu-Mbeya)
Living condition very poor,
mistreatment, no legal
representation before being
sent to court, being
punished, tied legs up and
head down in order to
confess (case of Karanga
Moshi, Mbeya remand
home.)
No legal representation,
and delayed trial (Denied
right to be listened)
Ignorance to the law, and
failed on how to defend
them self
Causes for child rights
violations
Lack of proper
understanding on children
rights, lack of adequate
prison to separate children
from adults,
Lack of adequate
magistrate prosecutors to
prosecute cases, and lack
of transport to take children
from detention to courts
Lack of competent people
to do behaviour
modification and
rehabilitation or counselling
Lack of competent people
to do investigation and
report the findings for child
trial in Short time possible
Lack of enough people to
provide legal aid to
children, lack of child
network to advocate for
children rights
Limited human resources
knowledge on how to
handle legal issues that are
related to children right
15 / 55 Tanzania-CRSA-REPORT-2012
A loving home for every child