Tanzanian government must step up the fight against Gender-based violence as cases emerge in various parts of the country

The Lake Zone of Tanzania, consisting of four regions situated north of the country, reported families abandoning their female children in thick forests after becoming pregnant before the girls undergo Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Tanzania had criminalized FGM in 1998 and had adopted a National Plan of Action to end FGM by 2030. Since the emergence of FGM in the Lake Zone, various Tanzanian activists have urged the government to step up its fight against FGM and gender-based violence. The Association for Termination of Female Genital Mutilation (ATFGM) recently rescued a 16-year-old pregnant girl who was found alone in the Serengeti Forest; she had then, under the care of ATFGM, given birth to a baby boy. ATFGM contacted her family. However, they refused to take her back. Mr. Valerian Mgani stated that ‘girls dumped due to beliefs that getting pregnant is an abominable offence’ might result in lives being lost. Mr. Mgani urges the members of society to fight the outdated beliefs and practices in Tanzania.