Tanzanian Government Shuts Down NGO Reproductive Rights Meeting, Raising Concerns Among Health Advocates, Donor Officials

Devex: In an apparent crackdown, Tanzania government raids NGO meeting on reproductive rights
“…As the participants [of a mid-December training for Tanzanian reproductive health providers organized by the Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa] broke up for lunch, non-uniformed security officials swarmed the hotel, according to organizers and witnesses. Together with the unexplained attendees, they shut down the meeting and detained eight of the participants. … [I]t appears the shutdown was the latest in a string of Tanzanian government actions against organizations that are or appear to be providing services and assistance to the country’s homosexual community. … Experts warn that this will have significant consequences for the health of all Tanzanians. The moves are also pitting the government against donors and organizations that have invested heavily in improving it. That includes the United States and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which make outsized contributions to Tanzania’s health sector…” (Green, 1/6).

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