Help Care for 60 Domestically Abused Children

PROJECT INTRODUCTION

Violence against children in Tanzania is alarming, serious and complex issue, each year millions of children are exposed to violence in their homes, schools and neighbourhood. Young children experience domestic violence, abusive behaviour made by parents, guardians or caretaker. As a result the young child prosperity and consistency is threatened. It is a sad fact that children experience domestic violence by the same family members or relatives who are supposed to be taking care of them. The Tanzanian government has ratified international efforts such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR), the United Nations Child Rights Convention (CRC), the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, and others. National initiatives have also been implemented. Despite these efforts, the Violence against Children (VAC) Tanzania Report discovered that the prevalence of child abuse has generally increased (VAC Tanzania Report 2011). This is because of inadequate access to early childhood education resulting in poor parenting skills, which allow corporal punishment, rape, neglect, and child domestic violence to perpetuate. A vicious cycle ensues. Furthermore, corruption in the Tanzanian legal system and inadequate capacity and legal education of local government leaders contributes to the gap in implementation of child rights. Unsatisfactory child participation in governance and human rights discussions stunts the ability of young victims to advocate for them. Victims must rely on family members for advocacy, and there remains a poor reporting culture among family and community members. Organizations that advocate for and protect young victims of violence lack funding from Tanzania’s government. Therefore, child rights and the prevention of violence is still a crucial issue in Tanzania.

FKT Goals and Objectives

Foundation Karibu Tanzania (FKT) seeks to address these gaps and help to prevent and eradicate violence against children in Tanzania. FKT currently operates in two districts in the Mwanza region of Tanzania: Ilemela and Nyamagana. FKT’s vision is a society where every child is safe at home and can enjoy their rights. By providing medical and psycho-social services to children at the Rescue Centre, children who have been severely abused and tortured can be rehabilitated. By counselling adult perpetrators, FKT can reintegrate the children back into their families of origin for a sustainable, but safe, solution. 

Specific goals for FKT are to enhance the effectiveness of child protective rights and laws and governance institutions; to improve rescue services including psycho-social services, education, and quality medical service. To improve the organization’s sustainability and develop it for further accountability and effectiveness. This includes improving resource mobilization, HR management, and midterm evaluations. 

FKT has four main projects. The first is a rescue centre to provide temporary shelter and treatment for domestically abused children. Secondly, FKT counsels the abusers in order to create long-lasting change. Adult perpetrators are required to sign a contract with FKT, the Social Welfare Department, and the Police Department Gender Desk which obligates them to attend weekly counselling. The third programme reintegrates and monitors children when they return to their families, before reintegration home assessment is made in order to ensure that the child is reintegrated to a safe home.

Achieved Results from January to February 2017

# 1. RESCUING

FKT received funding from GlobalGiving (20,630,025 TSH) in the first quarter part of which was used in successful rescuing 9 children (F 6, M 3) from January 2017 to February 2017. These children were admitted at FKT Centre and provided with shelter, nutritious food, love, medical care and clothes during their stay at the centre.

# 2. REINTEGRATION

During this period FKT successfully reintegrated 11children from January 2017 to February 2017. These children were reunited with their respective safe families for school enrolment. Among the 11 one child was  rejoined by her family beyond our country’s border in Kenya which is one of the six countries forming the East Africa Community (EAC). A follow up meeting was made to  13 children, first 8 and 5 last home assessments was conducted to monitor the progress and condition of the children before reintegration. It must be noted that when children are reintegrated a number of stakeholders are involved. Ordinarily this would include the village chairman, the Most Vulnerable Child (MVCC) village committee, the social welfare officer and the people nearest the family. FKT believes that to safeguard the rights of the child and to prevent further abuse or torture, the reformed family need to be accountable to the aforementioned stakeholders. It takes a family to raise a child but equally it takes a family to abuse a child.

 #3. Counseling of children

Counselling was made to all the children admitted at the centre and the parents/guardians that perpetuate violence on their children. A total of 9 (F 6, M 3) parents/guardians have been counselled over the last two months  Additionally, all the 9 children admitted at the centre received counselling support which made them to cope with the trauma of their physical injuries. As not only children suffer from physical injuries but internal hurt, pain and trauma occasioned by the abuse they have undergone. Our resident counsellor helps them cope with this pain and initiate them in a healing process. Additionally, the perpetrators of the abuse towards the children are counselled for a period not less than three months on a weekly basis until we are satisfied that they have accepted their abuse, have chosen alternative methods of correcting a child, they have equipped with the parental skills and are committed to respecting the rights of the child.

SUCCESS STORY OF HOSEA GODFREY KINGU

Hosea is a boy aged 12 years old. He is a Nyiramba by tribe, studying at Mongera primary school in standard four. Before coming to FKT Hosea was living with his single mother who at Igogo Ward Nyamagana District in Mwanza region. He was born infected with HIV/AIDS, For that case Hosea each Month has to attend for HIV/AIDS clinic to take medicine and counseling. Hosea’s mother was running petty business of selling small fishes (dagaa) when the business expanded she started transporting the same product from Mwanza to Chunya District in Mbeya Region. When travelling she left her child to his brother (the Uncle of Hosea) called George  Kingu who was living  at Kangae Ilemela district with his young brother known as  Juma Kingu. 

Juma had bad behavior, he started sodomizing Hosea for almost two/three months while threatening him that if he speaks out or tell any person he will cut his head (separate his head and the body), sometimes he was even showing the knife to Hosea while sodomizing him. Hosea became very afraid and never told anybody what was happening. One day Hosea managed to run away but his uncle caught up with him. He brought Hosea home and made him remove his pants and went ahead to sodomize him.

The kid kept silence while feeling bad, the last day his uncle sodomized him again, according to Hosea that was too much, he felt a lot of pain and he could barely walk properly due to pain. After two days it was his date to attend clinic at Baylor, so he went to Baylor alone no one went with him on that day, one worker at the clinic saw that the child could not sit even his walking was not properly and seemed to be weak and unhappy, then he called him inside and interviewed him. Hosea told the whole story after being assured that they won’t report the incident to any one otherwise he could be killed by his uncle. After being assured he explained what happened and even showed how his arms where being tighten during that satanic action and continue to explain that not only once that he was sodomized but sometimes one or two times a day he couldn’t even remember the times. That staff involved his co-workers about the whole issue and decided to take the action of taking the child to the governmental hospital and find ways of arresting the abuser, so they called the good uncle of Hosea who is George Kingu to go immediately at Baylor and that’s when the abuser was arrested.

When Hosea was rescued he was very weak and unable to walk and sit properly. He is now recuperating at FKT.

CHALLENGES

Among other challenges FKT continues to face challenges in its effort to denounce and eradicate child domestic torture. Major among this is the culture of silence embedded in the community. Very too often the abused children are hidden at homes with full knowledge of the neighbours yet they all fear to denounce it. Tanzania being a relationship based society, people and the wider community protect each other against law enforcement instruments for fear of “the community will blame me for reporting my neighbour”

We also face the challenge of inadequate donor support. We need people of goodwill to support this cause and help create safe homes for abused children. Currently we have 22 children at the centre and they all require medical care, food and other life sustaining materials.

Conclusion

A little support goes along way in making a difference in the lives of abused children. Your support gives us a voice to be there for them and to do everything in our power to give them a life free of pain and permanent disability. With your support already the journey to rescue and care for 60 children has started. 9 children have been rescued and 11 reintegrated. “Together we can make a difference in the lives of the abused children.”