TAMWA, SEO call for establishment of family policy

TANZANIA: TANZANIA Media Women’s Association (TAMWA) and Society Empowerment Organ (SEO) have formulation of a family policy that will guide measures to deal with a myriad of social problems including gender based violence.

They said it is the right time to have the policy due to emerging changes in family matters thus it could raise awareness to family members to remember their roles and responsibilities for the better future.

The TAMWA Executive Director, Dr Rose Reuben and SEO’s Executive Director Hajat Upendo Mwinchande said in a joint statement that the family policy will save as a solution for myriads of social problems, including Gender Based Violence (GBV).

Dr Reuben said GBV has remained to be a big challenge that in turn produces a number of street children, child abuse, early marriage and early pregnancies.

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She urged stakeholders including non-governmental organisations, local government, development partners, community-based organisation and faith-based organisations to step up efforts to address GBV and moral decay within the society.

“When you look deeply into the source of wife battery, child abuse, child abandoning and the like, you will find that this occurs in the country due to lack of family policy,” she said.

“The policy should be in place to strengthen the welfare of the family as an institution considering its essence for building resilient and inclusive societies.

On her side Mwinchande underlined the need to support families, promoting social cohesion, and addressing key societal challenges of the family and society in general. She outlined the reason for the family policy, saying it will enable both men and women to balance work and family responsibilities.

She said these policies contribute to greater gender equality in society. It will also enhance access to healthcare, mental health support, and social services to improve the overall health and well-being of individuals and families.

Moreover, it will as well support families in maintaining stable homes, accessing education and training, and securing employment can contribute to overall economic well-being.

“It will also support families for financial assistance, childcare services, and access to healthcare and promote gender equality by addressing issues such as parental leave, childcare and flexible work arrangements,” she said.

She said with the changing family patterns, the policy will assist in shaping population dynamics, including fertility rates, aging populations, and migration patterns since policies that support families can influence various dynamics and contribute to long-term demographic trends.