Dar es Salaam , 13 November 2024 ,advocating for safe spaces and robust policies to protect women in political and online spaces is crucial as Tanzania gears up for next year’s elections, speaking at the Women in Siasa Learning Session organized by Imara Leadership Initiative in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The Country Director of Women in Management Africa (WIMA) Dr.Naike Moshi said there is a need for collective efforts to support women’s political participation, she said there is an urgent need for mechanisms to address harassment, enforce stringent penalties for perpetrators and foster gender sensitivity within political parties.
‘Mentorship programs are crucial to empower current women leaders to guide aspiring politicians, ensuring the next generation is equipped to navigate the challenges of leadership and governance’, she said.
Petrider Paul , a WYDE Accountability hub member from Tanzania emphasized the need to adopt a comprehensive approach on empowering women leaders in civic engagement processes that includes strengthening legal frameworks, urging social media platforms to implementstricter policies , promoting digital literacy and establishing support networks for victims.
With elections approaching in 2025 , she underscored the need for mentorship programs to guide aspiring leaders and urged experienced leaders to share their journeys, providing younger generations with the knowledge and courage to enter political spaces, ‘Leaders in Political spaces must mentor young leaders showing them the path to success and resilience’, she said. Capacity-building programs particularly those focusing on public speaking, negotiation skills, and branding are crucial to equipping women for leadership roles as there is a need for networks and donor support to enable women to access these resources and develop their leadership potential.
The Technical Member of the Tanzania Development Vision 2050 Ms.Dorice John Mgetta and the Chief Executive Officer of Serengeti Bytes Mr. Kennedy Mmari also called for Cultural transformation to combat Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and foster respect and equality, stressed that change must begin at the community level, teaching respect in homes, schools and workplaces to build a society free from violence and discrimination.
The session unpacked the discussions on gender-based violence targeted to women in leadership and political spaces that is often left behind and offered an opportunity for participants to learn more on how to promote open civic spaces discussions creating a safe space for women leaders to openly share personal stories and experiences they face recognizing that gender-based violence has a multifaced approach not only physical but also at it can be through online harassment , hate speech and cyber bullying.
The Women and Youth in Democracy (WYDE) Civic Engagement Accountability Hub Member representing Tanzania Petrider Paul urged the need to address democratic challenges and promote women and youth participation in public affairs in a project supported by the Kofi Annan Foundation , Westminister Foundation for Democracy (WFD) , the Oslo Center , the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) in a EU Funded Project.
The WYDE Civic Engagement brings together young leaders from across the Sub-Saharan Africa in a comprehensive training and networking program to enhance their skills in good governance and democratic leadership , financial and political accountability.
ENDS
About Imara Leadership Initiative:
Imara Leadership Initiative is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) operating in the United Republic of Tanzania working to promote good governance, health, gender equality and peacebuilding inline with the targets of the African Union Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Petrider Paul
WYDE Accountability hub Member in Tanzania
Board of Directors, Imara Leadership Initiative
Email: petrider@imaraleadershipinitiative.org
