DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's Zanzibar special court on sexual offenses on Saturday announced the reduction of trial duration for sexual-related cases in a move aimed at intensifying the fight on violence against women and children.
Khamis Ramadhan Abdallah, Zanzibar's acting chief justice, said the trial of sexual-related cases will now be completed within one year instead of three years.
Abdallah said sexual abuses in the Zanzibar archipelago keep on rising, appealing for public support in the fight against the social vice.
He told a two-day refresher course on human rights for judges and magistrates that judges and magistrates alone will not succeed in the fight against sexual abuses.
On Thursday, Tanzania's Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi reiterated his pledge to end violence against women and children.
In his address to mark the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, President Mwinyi said authorities have been taking measures aimed at eliminating violence against women and children.
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that starts on Nov. 25 and runs until Dec. 10, a platform for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. Enditem
