PRESS SUMMARIES - 26 August 2014 National news Private handling of GBV cases worsening abuse Activists have opposed the attendants to victims of gender-based violence (GBV) privately by parents and guardians instead of law courts, saying this accelerates GBV acts. Wete District GBV coordinator, Khadija Henock told a workshop over the weekend that the district had since 2012 received 93 GBV cases, but so far only one has been concluded in court. Khadija Kibano, who is the Shehia Coordinator for Mtambwe kaskazini, Pemba, said they received 18 cases but only three landed in law courts while others ended in unknown ways – mainly at the family level. She lamented that the situation is frustrating and warned that the acts cannot be curbed if the victim’s families take the issues lightly. She said the activists can do very little if the victims themselves appeal for pity and/or mercy for the culprits backed by their families. Social Change Officer of Tanzania Media Women’s Association (TAMWA) in Pemba, Jitihada Abdalla, said action against GBV should be directed to the authorities all the way through the court systems if they are to be stopped. Tanzania not doing enough to reduce maternal mortality, morbidity rates WHO calls for supportive policies Tanzania is not making sufficient progress to achieve Millennium Development Goal Number Five (MDG 5) reduced maternal mortality and morbidity rates, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. The caution is published in the 2015 WHO’s MDG Countdown Report which says the goal can only be achieved if supportive policies are put in place. Commenting in an exclusive interview with The Guardian at the weekend, World Lung Foundation (WLF) Deputy Clinical Director, Dr Sunday Dominico said the Tanzanian government and other stakeholders must put more efforts to curb the problem as the deadline draws closer. He said with half of all births in Tanzania occurring outside health facilities and being performed by non-skilled birth attendants, expectant women and children under five remain in grave danger. According to Dr Dominico for there to be any tangible progress towards the MDG 5 then there is need for much more involvement of local communities backed by executives and policy makers prioritizing maternal and child health. He said with increased resource allocation there would be increased institutional delivery in rural communities. ( Nipashe, The Guardian, et al) ‘WikiLeaks’ targets poaching elite in Tanzania Poachers slaughtering Africa’s elephants and rhinos with impunity are often shielded from police by powerful connections, but a group of conservationists has turned to the anonymity of tip-offs to try to stem the killing. The founders of WildLeaks – a sort of WikiLeaks for the environment – say it is the first secure, online whistle-blowing platform dedicated to wildlife and forest crime. While wildlife rangers face gun battles in national parks with poachers carrying out the slaughter, the online project hopes to target the top-end traffickers who cream off millions of dollars in profit. Poaching has risen sharply across Africa in recent years fuelled by rising demand in Asia for ivory and rhino horn, coveted as a traditional medicine and a status symbol. Interviewed in the lobby of an up market hotel in Dar es Salaam, Mr Crosta is fervent in his belief the online platform can be part of the war against poaching. Since then the project has gotten over 45 tips and leaks, with at least 28 deemed to be useful. International news WHO: 120 healthcare workers die in Ebola outbreak One hundred and twenty healthcare workers have died in the Ebola outbreak, and twice that number have been infected, the World Health Organization said. The fact that the disease has killed so many people working to care for infected patients is making it increasingly hard to combat the disease in western Africa, the group said. WHO estimates that, in the three hardest-hit countries, only one to two doctors are available to treat 100,000 people, and these doctors are heavily concentrated in urban areas. (AP, CNN, et al) South Sudan rivals sign new ceasefire deal South Sudans warring leaders have signed a fresh ceasefire deal vowing to end more than eight months of conflict, according to mediators who threatened sanctions should the agreement fail once again. East Africas regional IGAD bloc, which mediated the talks between President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy Riek Machar, called on the leaders to forge a unity government within 45 days. Thousands of people have been killed and more than 1.8 million have fled civil war sparked by a power struggle between Kiir and Machar, who met on Monday for the first time in more than two months. (World Media)
Posted on: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 07:47:44 +0000
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