continued to collaborate with other Stakeholders in carrying out public awareness-raising campaigns using community media and traditional village leaders focusing at eliminating and preventing gender-related cruelties and malpractices against women and girls. These are particularly prominent in Arusha, Dodoma, Kilimanjaro, Manyara, Mara, and Shinyanga Regions where incidents of violence against women and children rooted in harmful traditional and cultural practices are more prevalent. 224. As a result of measures undertaken by the State Party to combat FGM in the period under report, the Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS 2010) has indicated a slight drop in prevalence of FGM/C from 18 percent in 199689 to 15 percent in 201090. However, the practices of FGM/C still exist in some regions scoring more than 60percent prevalence: i.e. Manyara Region (71%) and Dodoma Region (64%). In Mara Region, there is a slight increase in the FGM prevalence: from 38% in the 2004-5 TDHS91 to 40% in the 2010 TDHS. Nonetheless, other regions have recorded a slight decline in the prevalence of FGM/C. For instance, Arusha region recorded a slight decrease in FGM prevalence from 59 percent in the 2004-5 TDHS to 55 percent in the 2010 TDHS. This drop is due to the widespread of infrastructures including communication and information networks which give room for rural population to access information. Meanwhile, significant interventions by human activists’ through various campaigns in rural areas led to an increase of knowledge regarding impact of FGM/C92 to rural women and the community at large. 225. In further combating and eliminating FGM/C, the State Party recognizes this as one of the critical gender-based violence (GBV) issues that have serious health implications needing specific attention. Therefore, the State Party has resolved to monitor the issue of FGM/C to be monitored through the TDHS. (f) Risky, Vulnerable or Street Children 226. The State Party has put in place several measures that aim at providing appropriate care and protection to children deprived of a family (Para 14 of the List of Issues). These measures include developing the National Coasted Plan of Action for MVC II 2013 – 2017 (NCPA II). The goal of this plan is to establish an MVC response which is government led and community- driven, that constitutes a multi-sectoral response and commitment which facilitates MVC access adequate care, support and protection and access to basic social services through increasingly mainstreamed and sustainable government lead systems. The plan has four strategic objectives which are to Strengthen the capacity of household and communities to protect care and support MVC, Increase access to effective gender responsive child protection services within a well-resourced child protection system that has the best interest of the child at its core, Improve access and utilization of primary health care and education including early childhood care and development services and strengthen the coordination and leadership, policy and service delivery environment. 227. In particular, NCPA II defines children living and working in the streets as among the most vulnerable children category in Tanzania and are the attribute of the target group of NCPA II plan. Moreover these children are better supported through the Child Protection System which have been scaled up to 17 District Councils of Tanzania mainland. The child protection team has 25 members from different sectors. 228. In addition, the State Party has adopted a Guide on the Establishment and Implementation of Community Rehabilitation Programmes in 2012, which provides practice guidance to all institutions and persons involved in the establishment, supervision, monitoring, implementation and running of the Community Rehabilitation Programme. Besides, the State Party has development a Community Based Strategic Plan of 2013 for dealing with the problem of children living and working in the streets. It the plan through which the state party has established a joint emergency, short-term and long-term care and protection 89 United Republic of Tanzania, Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey 1996 Dar es Salaam: National Bureau of Statistics, 1997. United Republic of Tanzania, Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey 2010 Dar es Salaam: National Bureau of Statistics, 2011. 91 United Republic of Tanzania, Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey 2004-2005 Dar es Salaam: National Bureau of Statistics, June 2005. 92 United Republic of Tanzania, “Tanzania 3rd, 4th and 5th Reports on the Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) 2005-2011”, 9 January 2012, para 198. 90 63