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Rise in women`s incomes has perpetuated soaring domestic violence - WiLDAF
2007-11-23 19:02:47
By Lusekelo Philemon
The increase on women`s income at family level has been cited as one of the reasons that perpetuates increased domestic violence in the country.
It`s reported that 50 per cent of women who are in marriages are being beaten by their beloved husbands.
`The rate has not shown any sign of going down but rather increasing despite the activists` voices that have been made for the past ten years,` Judith Odunga, country director of Women in Law and Development (WiLDAF) said.
Odunga was talking to reporters in Dar es Salaam yesterday on the 16 days of international condemnation against gender violence expected to kick off on Sunday to December10, this year.
According to WiLDAF research findings in Singida, Mtwara, Shinyanga, Iringa and Ruvuma, more than 50 per cent of women were being beaten by their counterparts on daily basis.
Odunga said for the past ten years women had been doing well in generating income at family level, and that that had become the reason to make most men have fear against their spouses.
`To some extent this has been widening the problem in our society. Men want always to be on top of their wives,` Odunga explained.
According to the activist, male dominance had been a critical reason that led most women to suffer from this problem.
She said there were people who denied women to excel in their social economic development for the fear that they (women) would surpass men economically.
`This has been a source of the problem that needs remarkable efforts to address it. Men should understand that women have the right to participate in economic activities,` she added.
She however condemned, the prevailing cultural practices that undermined women`s rights saying such were a barrier to their prosperity.
She said beatings, female genital mutilation (FGM), inheritance problems, rape and killings were among the key issues that needed to be collectively done away with.
Commenting on the sixteen days of worldwide condemnation against gender violence, Odunga said in Tanzania the event would take place at zonal levels.
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