Using community voices to address gender-based violence in Tanzania

Gender inequality and gender-based violence (GBV) continue to shape the daily lives of millions of women and girls worldwide. In Tanzania, the challenge is both urgent and complex. According to United Nations (UN) data, in 2018, nearly one in four women aged 15–49 (24.3%) reported experiencing physical or sexual violence from a current or former intimate partner in the previous year alone. At the same time, women and girls shoulder a disproportionate burden of unpaid care and domestic work (16.5% of their time, compared to 4.2% for men), limiting access to education, economic opportunity and civic participation. Barriers to sexual and reproductive health services persist as well, with just 55.1% of women’s family planning needs met by modern methods.

These realities underscore the importance of community-based solutions that address not only laws and services but also social norms, awareness and access to justice.

Through a new partnership with GIZ Tanzania, illuminAid is supporting a community-driven approach to reducing gender-based violence (GBV) and strengthening access to justice. The initiative focuses on training local paralegals and youth leaders to use participatory video to advance education, dialogue and social change. A recent illuminAid four-day Video Education Workshop in Dodoma brought together paralegals from five grassroots legal aid organizations across Dar es Salaam, Dodoma and Tanga, along with representatives from the youth-led group Women and Youth Tanzania (WOYOTA).

Participants learned how to create short, culturally relevant videos that explain legal rights, challenge harmful norms and highlight available support services for survivors. Equipped with solar-powered video kits, they will host community screenings followed by facilitated discussions, creating safe spaces for conversation about issues that are too often silenced.

Support from our donors makes this possible. By investing in locally led storytelling and long-term accompaniment, donors help ensure that women and girls are not only informed but better positioned to seek justice and shape safer communities.