Universal Periodic Review Working Group – 39th Session

Universal Periodic Review of Tanzania

Statement by Australia

5 November 2021

Thank you Madame President,

Australia welcomes Tanzania’s acceptance of previous recommendations to strengthen the rights of vulnerable and minority groups and continues to urge their implementation. We welcome the government’s commitment to ensuring pregnant school-age girls can continue education, and look forward to this being implemented as soon as possible.

Australia remains concerned by restrictions on freedom of expression, including the media, and continued reports of violence and discrimination against women, persons with disabilities, LGBTI persons and other minority groups.

Australia recommends that Tanzania:

1. Repeal or amend laws that unreasonably restrict freedom of expression, including the 2015 Statistics Act, 2015 Cybercrimes Act and 2016 Media Services Act.
2. Strengthen and promote the rights of women and girls, and amend the Marriage Act of 1971 to raise the marriage age for girls to 18 to prevent child early and forced marriage, as ordered by the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2019.
3. Uphold the rights of minority groups and accelerate implementation of the CRPD.
4. Repeal or amend laws discriminating against LGBTI persons, including Section 154 of the Penal Code that criminalises consensual same-sex acts among adults.
5. Establish an immediate formal moratorium on the death penalty, with a view to its abolition, and ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR.

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