Towards effective implementation of children's rights in Tanzania: lessons and opportunities from Ghana and South Africa

Abstract

"Despite the adoption and wide ratification of the CRC and ACRWC, the miseries identified and intended to be dealt with by the two instruments are still rampant in many parts of the globe. Tanzania, as will be clearly shown in chapter three of this study, is not an exception in this regard. ... Tanzania has ratified both the CRC and ACRWC without reservations. In relation to international law, Tanzania follows a dualist approach. Despite the fact that Tanzania has ratified the two instruments to date, it does not have a specific comprehensive law on children's rights. That notwithstanding, various laws have been enacted, other amended and several programs put in place to protect children from exploitation, and safeguarding their interests. However, these measures have not yielded any feasible results since their adoption. There are still cases of discrimination in respect of girls, children born out of wedlock, non-fulfilment of the principle of best intersts of the child, socio-economic difficulties threatening children's right to life, survival and development of the child; police brutality against street children, the increasing number of children deprived of a family environment, especially AIDS orphans, and an increase in the incidence of child prostitution, early marriages, and various cultural practices which are harmful to children. This study necessitates investigation of the mechanisms which could be adopted, to assist in the successful implementation of children's rights in Tanzania. ... This study, therefore, draws inspirations from the laws and practices on children's rights in Ghana and South Africa and explores the most effective mode of implementation that can ensure the translation of the noble intentions in the two instruments into genuine effective tools for enhancing the well-being of the children in Tanzania." -- Introduction.