Tanzania HIV/AIDS and Malaria Indicator Survey ... - Measure DHS

clothes, shelter and protection because of lack of adult or family guidance to protect them. Age at firstsexual intercourse is of particular concern given that in Tanzania HIV is mainly transmitted throughheterosexual contact.Table 12.6 shows that 11 percent of female children age 15-17 had sexual intercourse beforeexact age 15. Women who are OVCs are more likely to have had sexual intercourse before age 15than women who are not OVCs (13 percent compared with 10 percent), which may suggest that OVCwomen lack proper care from parents or guardians. However, the pattern is different for men. Thirteenpercent of men who are not OVCs began engaging in sexual activity before reaching age 15 comparedwith where 11 percent of OVCs.The ratio of the percentage of OVCs to non-OVCs who had sexual intercourse before age 15is 1.26 for girls compared with 0.85 for boys.Table 12.6 Sexual intercourse before age 15 among orphans and vulnerablechildrenPercentage of de jure children age 15-17 who had sexual intercourse beforeexact age 15, by OVC status and sex, and ratio of the percentage OVC to thepercentage non-OVC, Tanzania HMIS 2007-08OVC statusFemalesPercentagewho had sexualintercoursebefore exactage 15 NumberMalesPercentagewho had sexualintercoursebefore exactage 15 NumberOVC 13.2 305 11.2 344Non-OVC 10.4 911 13.1 761Total 11.1 1,216 12.5 1,104Ratio 1 1.26 na 0.85 naNote: Table is based on children who usually live in the household and whoslept in the household the night preceding the interviewna = Not applicable1Ratio of the percentage OVC to the percentage non-OVC12.7 WIDOWS DISPOSSESSED OF PROPERTYProperty grabbing, where relatives of the deceased come and claim the land and otherproperty, is a serious problem for widows and child-headed households. Traditional law in many ruralareas dictates that women and children cannot inherit property. Property grabbing has a number ofnegative consequences, particularly for girls and women. This can worsen the vulnerability of peoplewho care for children and the children themselves. It is, therefore, important to improve laws,including enforcement mechanisms, to ensure the right of women and children to inherit propertyafter the death of a husband or father (UNICEF, 2005).In this survey, women were asked about their previous and current marital status to identifywomen who have ever been widowed. Property grabbing is usually done by the deceased husband’srelatives in the interest of taking care of children. Table 12.7 shows that 5 percent of women age15-49 were widowed at some time. Among ever-widowed women, 55 percent were dispossessed ofproperty. This proportion is much higher for women who are currently married (73 percent) than forwomen who have not remarried (46 percent). Women in rural areas are more likely than those inurban areas to have experienced dispossession of property (57 and 48 percent, respectively).Dispossession of property is more prevalent in Zanzibar (60 percent) than in Mainland Tanzania (55percent). In general, dispossession of property decreases with increasing level of women’s educationand wealth quintile.158 | Orphans and Vulnerable Children