Terms of Reference for the disability Inclusion assessment on Child Protection services.

Save the Children has been working in Tanzania to advance the rights of girls and boys since 1986, currently with its programming to 14 regions on the Mainland (Dar es Salaam, Kigoma, Dodoma, Iringa, Morogoro, Rukwa, Mbozi, Arusha, Mwanza, Tanga, Shinyanga, Mtwara, and Lindi), as well as Zanzibar (both Unguja and Pemba islands) with 8 field offices.

According to the Zanzibar National Plan of Action to End Violence Against Women and Children (NPA-VAWC) 2017-2022, one in 20 girls, and one in 10 boys report at least one incident of sexual violence before the age of 18. Similar rates are also seen in Tanzania Mainland. In both locations, numbers are likely to be higher due to significant barriers to reporting; according to Save the Children’s research on sexual violence in Zanzibar in 2019, less than half of the children who experienced violence told someone.

Save the Children in Zanzibar through its SIDA integrated project funded by Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) has made significant strides in supporting the Ministry of Health to implement the One Stop Centre model, as a means to respond to sexual and gender-based violence in Zanzibar. One Stop Centres are a ‘hub style’ service inside or adjacent to local hospitals where survivors of sexual and gender-based violence are provided with support given by a team consisting of a Social Worker, police Officer and Medical Doctor, and offered referrals to other specialized services like mental health psychosocial support (MHPSS) etc on need basis. Save the Children’s support has thus far been focused on ensuring that the One Stop Centres operate in a strong Governance structure ready to respond to the needs of child survivors, collect feedback from survivors and their families, and adequately equip, train and support staff in their work to provide these much-needed services.

Save the Children is also working with the government of Zanzibar in strengthening child protection system including social welfare workforce and community structures to enhance prevention and response services to violence against children

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