The Sexual Offences Act has been revised to broaden the range of offences, give longer punishment to perpetrators of sexual crimes, and to allow children under 18 to be tried in camera. However, child abuse is not specifically defined under these laws; compulsory reporting is not provided for, and the institution or body responsible for appropriate interventions in child abuse cases is not clearly defined. There have been legislative efforts to protect children from hazardous work and from the worst forms of child labour. The Time Bound Programme aims at combating the worst forms of child labour and has had some success in withdrawing children from prostitution (for example) and providing them with suitable alternatives. There are currently efforts in place to develop the Social Welfare Policy in order to streamline welfare service delivery in the country. There is still much work to be done, however, before the rights of all children in Tanzania - particularly the poorest and most vulnerable - are guaranteed. Partial and anecdotal evidence suggest serious and widespread problems of neglect, violence, abuse and exploitation of children, and efforts to protect Tanzanian children fall far short of what is required by the ACWRC. Although measures have been put in place to address some of these issues, on the whole, appropriate mechanisms for containing or preventing abuse of children are insufficient and local level governance has largely failed to ensure that children are protected from abuse. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has been criminalized since 1998, but still takes place. Corporal punishment is institutionalized in both schools (where its application is regulated) and the criminal justice system as a legal punishment for children. Legislative changes are also insufficient, for example the diverse legal definitions of the child need to be consolidated to provide a uniform definition as indicated in article 2 of the charter. Discrimatory laws such as the patlineal laws of succession and inheritance need to be amended in compliance with the right of freedom to thoughts, conscience and religion. v

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