Tanzania is a party to several human rights conventions and treaties, including:

1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights

2. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

3. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

4. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

5. Convention on the Rights of the Child

6. Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

The Tanzanian government has committed to upholding and protecting the human rights of its citizens
as outlined in these treaties and conventions. However, there have been concerns about the
government's respect for human rights, particularly with regards to issues such as freedom of
expression, assembly and association, and the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.

Tanzania has ratified the following documents:

African (Banjul) Charter on Human and People's Rights

Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

Convention on the Rights of the Child

International Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

International Covenant Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

The following documents further define the obligations of Tanzania:

Beijing +5: Further Actions and Initiatives to Implement the Beijing Platform for Action

Beijing Platform for Action

Cairo Programme of Action

UN Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) Declaration of Commitment

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The documents listed above require Tanzania to protect and promote the following rights:

Right to development

Right to education

Right to equal protection of the law

Right to highest attainable standard of physical and mental health

Right to housing

Right to just and favorable work conditions

Right to liberty and security of the person

Right to life and survival

Right to marry and found a family

Right to non-discrimination on grounds of age

Right to non-discrimination on grounds of disability (i.e. HIV positive)

Right to non-discrimination on grounds of marital status

Right to non-discrimination on grounds of race and ethnicity

Right to non-discrimination on grounds of sex and gender

Right to non-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation

Right to private and family life

Right to receive and impart information

Right to the benefits of scientific progress

Constitutional Protection of Rights

The Constitution of Tanzania can be viewed at http://www.tanzania.go.tz/images/constitutioneng.pdf

The Constitution of Tanzania is an important tool for the protection and promotion of human rights. It
explicitly refers to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in requiring Tanzania to preserve and
uphold human dignity.

The Constitution enables Tanzania to translate international agreements into domestic law, and obliges
all branches of government to respect and ensure the rights it enunciates.

The Constitution provides for the protection of the following rights, among others. This empowers
individuals in making reproductive health decisions, and helps create the economic and social conditions
conducive to good sexual and reproductive health.

Right to education (art. 11)

Right to the equal protection of the laws (art. 13)

Right to equality and non-discrimination in the workplace (art. 23)

Right to freedom of association (art. 20)

Right to freedom of movement (art. 17)

Right to freedom from torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (art. 13)

Right to liberty and security (art. 15)

Right to life (art. 14)

Right to non-discrimination on grounds of race and ethnicity (art. 13)

Right to own private property (art. 24)

Right to participate in the affairs of government (art. 21)

Right to private and family life (art. 16)

Right to receive and impart information (art. 18)

Right to seek and obtain redress for violations of rights (art. 26)

Right to work (art. 22)

The Constitution includes other provisions that promote and protect rights relevant for good sexual and
reproductive health.

The Constitution obliges Tanzania to:

ensure employment to those able to work (art. 9)

provide social security (art. 11(1))

preserve and uphold human dignity (art. 12)

provide equal opportunities to all citizens (art. 9)

use resources so as to eradicate poverty, ignorance, and disease (art. 9)

ensure equal access to education (art. 11)

However, the Constitution allows restrictions to rights in certain cases.

The Constitution provides that the protection of public health may be grounds for restrictions to rights
(art. 30(2)(b)).

What do restrictions entail? By authorizing restrictions, it is acknowledged that Tanzania may be

confronted with situations that will entail an infringement on rights. In such situations, Tanzania may
take measures to address a public health problem without violating its own constitution.

Restrictions are authorized under international law if all of the following conditions are met:

the restriction is provided for and carried out in accordance with the law

the restriction is in the interest of a legitimate objective of general interest (e.g., the protection of public
health)

the restriction is strictly necessary in a democratic society to achieve the objective

there are no less restrictive means available to reach the same objective

the restriction is not drafted or imposed arbitrarily, i.e. in an unreasonable or otherwise discriminatory
manner
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