HelpAge International has submitted evidence to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to highlight violations of older women’s rights in Tanzania and make recommendations for government action.  

The Convention, which forms part of international human rights law, was ratified by Tanzania in 1985 and the Tanzanian Government is under legal obligation to implement its provisions to end discrimination against women.

The Tanzanian Government will be reporting on its progress at the 41st session meeting of CEDAW in July 2008, where the Committee which monitors CEDAW’s implementation will make a series of recommendations on how the Government can better realise women’s rights.

HelpAge International’s submission, which has been endorsed by 12 Tanzanian organisations working on older women’s rights, includes evidence and recommendations for government action in three areas:

• gender-based violence against older women
• rights to property and inheritance
• access to healthcare for older women carers of people living with HIV and AIDS.

Discrimination on multiple fronts

Older women’s experience of ageing in Tanzania is markedly different from that of older men. They are less likely to remarry after the death of a partner, and as widows have a considerably lower status in society.

Widows are also denied the right to inherit common assets such as a house or land, condemning many older women to live in poverty. Low levels of literacy contribute to a lack of knowledge of legal rights.

In some parts of Tanzania, gender-based violence is occurring against older women accused of witchcraft. These accusations can lead to violence, psychological abuse and intimidation, banishment from homes and communities, isolation, and in extreme cases, murder. 

In its submission to CEDAW, HelpAge International is calling for the Tanzanian Government to issue a policy statement which commits District Councils to introduce measures that challenge and address witchcraft accusation-related violence.

Interventions can reduce killings

HelpAge International and its partners in Tanzania have shown that interventions such as offering older women paralegal advice and engaging with local government, traditional healers (who can play a key role in accusing older women of witchcraft)and local militias who are sometimes paid to carry out the attacks, can reduce killings in some communities by as much as 90%. 
 
HelpAge International is also urging for the introduction of a non-discriminatory inheritance law and legislation to criminalise the seizure of property on the death of a spouse.

Ensuring older women’s right of inheritance will give them greater economic security. It will also help protect them from violence related to allegations of witchcraft, as disputes over property and inheritance are often underlying causes of this.

Specific healthcare needs of older women

Access to healthcare for older women caring for people with HIV and AIDS is another important area highlighted in HelpAge International’s submission.

64% of children who have lost both parents to HIV and AIDS are living in households headed by older people and the emotional and financial impact of this can be considerable, particularly for older widows without a source of regular income.

HelpAge International has recommended that the Tanzanian Government responds to the specific needs of older women carers in its healthcare policies by improving access to medication, providing support and information, and educating carers about HIV and AIDS to prevent their own risk of infection.

Bridget Sleap, Rights Policy Adviser at HelpAge International, says:

"Many older women in Tanzania face discrimination on multiple fronts: because they are women, because they are poor and because they are old. By fulfilling its obligations under international law and taking action to protect their rights, the Tanzanian Government can enable older women to live with dignity as well as better support those in their care."