The Committee of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) has expressed strong concern about abuses of older women’s rights in Tanzania and made a series of recommendations to the government to take action.

In its concluding comments following the 41st session meeting in New York, the committee recognised older women as a vulnerable group. It expressed particular concern about reports of intimidation, isolation, abuse and killings that can result from accusations of witchcraft against older women. 

The committee was also concerned by the delay in revising discriminatory inheritance laws and the continued existence of customary practices which discriminate against women.

The Committee’s final recommendations called on the Tanzanian Government to address discrimination against older women, and specifically to:

• ensure older women have full access to health and social services and decision-making processes, as well as adequate and appropriate jobs in the labour market 
• adopt special programmes to alleviate older women’s poverty 
• adopt special programmes to combat discrimination against them 
• challenge traditional views regarding older women, particularly accusations of witchcraft 
• provide further information, including disaggregated data on the situation of older women in its next report to the committee 
• accelerate and set a clear timeframe for the review and amendments to the inheritance laws.

These recommendations have taken on board issues raised in a submission made by HelpAge International to the committee which highlighted violations of older women’s rights in Tanzania. The submission suggested recommendations for urgent government action in three areas:

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

Next steps

The committee has asked the Tanzanian Government to give the recommendations priority attention and to submit a report on what it has done to implement the recommendations within the next two years. The Government is then due to submit its next full report to CEDAW in 2014, when again it must report on progress made on these recommendations.

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

“This is fantastic news and a huge step forward towards the better realisation of older women’s rights in Tanzania. We are pleased that the Committee has recognised specific discrimination against older women and their recommendations put a strong onus on the Government to act.

"We will use these recommendations in our advocacy and lobbying work and continue to play a role in holding the Government to account on its rights obligations to all the older women and men of Tanzania.”