four child protection teams have been formed in Tarime

CHILD protection teams have been formed in five wards of Tarime District in Mara Region in a move to safeguard children rights under an ambitious project funded by European Union (EU).

The project which aims at ending child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) in the district is being implemented by Plan International Tanzania in collaboration with Children's Dignity Forum(CDF), a local NGO leading on-going campaigns against child marriage and FGM in Mara Region.Mr Emmanuel Asaph, the project coordinator from Plan International Tanzania said formation of the child protection teams at the ward level is a milestone in the fight against forced marriage and FGM cases and other forms of injustices facing children in the area.
"This has come after successful formation of a child protection team at the district level here in Tarime", Mr Asaph told the 'Daily News' over the weekend. He named beneficiary wards as Susuni, Sabasaba, Sirari, Matongo and Nyamwaga.
"Already four child protection teams have been formed and formation of the remaining team is underway at Sabasaba ward," he said. Formation of the ward child protection teams, he said will now make it possible for child activities to be monitored from village to district level.
Meanwhile, around 31 primary and secondary school teachers from the targeted five wards have undergone a three-day intensive training on sexual health reproductive with the aim of spreading the education to several hundreds of children under the EU funded project.
According to Mr Asaph, the target is to provide such education to 1,500 young girls and 400 young men under the project. The training was held last week at a hotel in Tarime town. Plan International Tanzania and CDF have also of late started using football tournaments to enhance the battle against FGM and child marriages in Tarime under the same project.
According to Mr Asaph, the football tournaments campaign is designed to reach 700 girls aged between 10-14 and 600 more aged between 15-18. Mara is rated as one of the top five FGM practising regions in the country.

FGM is illegal according to the laws of the country but still some communities are still embracing the harmful culture which exposes young girls to humiliation and severe pains during and after the cut.

Reports show that around 1,600 girls underwent the cut in some parts of Tarime district in 2014 alone. Ongoing campaign against FGM in Tarime has seen serious interventions from local and international organizations. Government officials are also seen working close with the organizations hoping that the efforts will finally end the cut in the region.