NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT HELP REDUCE GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

By Margareth Mollel, Communication Department

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is an act that violates human rights and affects peace and security. It acts as a barrier to fair and environmental access, use, control, and benefits from natural resources. This year marks the 30^th anniversary of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls. The campaign runs every year from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day emphasizing on prevention and eradication of violence against women and girls. This year’s global theme for the campaign is “Orange the world: End violence against women now!”

Tanzania Natural Resource Forum (TNRF) ensures natural resource governance for improved rural livelihood. Among other things, the organization is working with the government, private sector, and local communities to address challenges that face both men and women, has successfully provided social, and environmental support to benefit diverse groups of people. To ensure mutual understandings in the communities, TNRF has been implementing projects with different focuses ranging from land rights, climate change adaptation to women empowerment. Some of the initiatives undertaken are described below showing how natural resources help reduce the risk of gender-based violence.

Gender-based violence has been experienced mostly by women and girls in different parts of Tanzania. Even though men’s rights are also violated; it has been a silent practice as men do not speak out about it. GBV is caused by social and cultural norms and unequal power relations, low levels of women's empowerment, lack of social support, socio-economic inequality, and material exploitation, conflicts, and climate change disasters. Click the attachment to read more.