The Committee also urges the State Party to provide additional information (to
supplement the information in its initial Report under review), in accordance with its
obligations under Article 23 of the ACRWC, on how the State Party dealt with children’s
rights when it carried out the repatriation process of all Burundian refugees back home,
upon the closureof the refugee camps in Ngara and Kibondo Districts in 2007/2008.
Street Children
The State Party reports that in Zanzibar, children whose parents have died or are found
to be mentally unstable, those that are poor or born out of wedlock, are taken care of by
the Social Welfare Department at Forodhani Home, Save Our Soul (SOS) Village and
Muslim Agencies.The Committee observes that the State Party does not have a
mechanism to follow up the welfare of children living away with their parents due to
separation, divorce and/or ill treatment.
The Committee also observes that the Social Welfare Departments both in the Tanzania
Mainland and in Zanzibar do not have sufficient resources to support and care for the
children whose parents have died or have mental illness, are poor or born out of
wedlock so it urges the State Party to make adequate resources available to these
important Institutions of care, for the proper well being of the children in their custody.
This will be in accordance with its obligations under Article 25 of the ACRWC.
Child Participation
The State Party has reported the realization of children’s freedom of expression applies
only in court proceedings while in customary laws and traditional practices children are
not allowed to speak unless they are given permission to do so. It has also reported
that child participation is promoted by Civil Society Organizations such as Tanzania
Movement for and with Children (TMC) and Junior Council of United Republic of
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