Understanding Strengthening Administration of Justice through Experiences of Child Sexual Abuse Victims in Tanzania

Abstract

Writing of this paper was inspired by reading of Tanzania “Child Justice Five Year Strategy for Progressive Reform, 2013-2017” (Ministry of Constitutional and Legal Affairs, 2012), and the making sense of a paper by Honorable Murtaza Jaffer (2012) titled, “Strengthening Administration of Justice and Upholding the Rule of Law in East Africa”. The two inspiring documents recognize that the administration of justice depends on the rule of law, which depends on just laws to begin with. The Child Justice Five Year Strategy for Progressive Reform in particular, acknowledges “the challenges the justice system faces in dealing with children’s cases expeditiously but fails to stipulate strategic plans for addressing social-cultural factors inhibiting reporting of abuse and exploitation by children and their families. This paper attempts to draw justice administrators’ attention to cultural adjustment the Tanzanian society made to Sexual Offenses Special Provision Act, 1998 (SOSPA) through sharing of documentary research experience with enforcement of child sexual offenses law in Tanzania where only 11% of perpetrators were found guilty of sexual offense charges brought before the court.

Keywords: Barriers to child justice, cultural adjustment in Tanzania, child sexual abuse.