Campaigners on Wednesday condemned authorities in Tanzania
for arresting five schoolgirls for being pregnant, saying they should have
arrested the men who impregnated them instead. The girls - aged between 16 and
19 - were arrested by police in the southeastern town of Tandahimba over the
weekend. They have been released on bail and are currently with their parents.
"Prosecuting girls who are victims of sexual
exploitation and violence, whilst allowing adult perpetrators to go free, sends
out the wrong message," said Christa Stewart, a lawyer with the charity
Equality Now. "In a misguided attempt to prove that they take sexual
violence seriously, the Tanzanian government is infringing on the human rights
of adolescent girls and this is unacceptable. Arresting victims is never the
solution."
President John Magufuli caused an outcry among campaigners
in June when he voiced support for a ban on pregnant girls and teenage mothers
in state schools, which dates back to 1961, describing their behaviour as
"immoral". The New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights said the
arrests were "unacceptable" and called for the men to be arrested,
while Sabrina Mahtani of the rights group Amnesty International said the
arrests were illegal.
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