Wikipedia

Anna Henga

Joined 7 January 2019


Anna Henga

Anna Henga is a Tanzanian renowned human rights activist who has no any other working background that is not related to human rights work. She is a lawyer, advocate of the High Court of Tanzania and the Executive Director of the Legal and Human Rights Centre.

Early life and Education

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Anna Henga was born in Dodoma Tanzania. She went to Kipawa Primary School in Dar es Salaam for her primary education. She obtained her secondary school education from Marangu Secondary School in Kilimanjaro and later went to Korogwe Girls High School in Tanga. She is a happy wife and mother of one.

Anna holds a Master’s Degree in Development Policy and Practice for Civil Society from Mzumbe University, Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from Institute of Finance Management (IFM), Bachelor of Laws from University of Dar es Salaam and Diploma in Gender from Sweden Institute of Public Administration.

Professional Career

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Anna Henga is a learned lawyer, advocate of the High Court of Tanzania and the Executive Director of the Legal and Human Rights Centre[1][2]. She is an enthusiast human rights activist who has no any other working background that is not related to human rights work.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Background in Human Rights Work

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Anna Henga is a passionate human rights activists who started engaging herself in human rights cause back in 2005 when she joined the University of Dar es Salaam Students Human Rights Association. In February, 2006 Anna joined LHRC as an intern, since then she has been successfully serving in various roles counting Programme Coordinator - Constitutional Reforms, Coordinator of the Southern African Legal Assistance Network (SALAN)[10] as well as Program’s Officer - Gender, Children and Anti FGM Coordinator. Following her passion and outstanding service in promotion and protection of human rights in Tanzania, Anna was appointed on July 1, 2018 to succeed the iconic human rights activist Dr. Helen Kijo-Bisimba[11][12][13][14][15]. Before she was appointed to head the leading human rights advocacy organisation in Tanzania, Anna Henga had successfully served various leadership roles at LHRC including the Director of Advocacy and Reforms leading the Centre’s core cause which is to advocate for legal and policy reforms as well as change of practices[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. In the cause Anna has been designing and leading programs focusing on access to justice particularly provision of legal aid to marginalized as well as conducting public interest case and strategic litigation. Exceptionally, Anna successfully designed and supervise big national campaigns on Constitutional Review Process in Tanzania (Big Bang Constitutional Campaign, 2014), the campaign with which its impact is noticeable to date[26].

Women and children rights

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From April 2009 to February 2011, Anna Henga worked as a Program Officer Gender and Children coordinating the LHRC’s interventions on rights of women and children in Tanzania. Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, 2003 (MAPUTO Protocol) popularisation of the protocol to the justice actors (magistrates and judges), duty bearers and community at large. This raised both community and duty bearers understanding of rights of women and girl child and later during the Constitutional Review Process in 2011, rights of women were voted to be included in the New Proposed Constitution[27][28][29][30]. Anna took the initiative to localize the protocol in Swahili language for the content of the protocol to be friendly available to the majority Tanzanians. As a coordinator of the Tanzania’s Anti-FGM Coalition (TAFGM) Anna success approached the Muslims community to join the coalition through Muslim Council of Tanzania; this resulted from the existed myth that Muslims supports FGM.

She also contributed to promotion of women’s participation in democratic processes through empowerment on political rights. In 2010, she trained women political aspirants in different regions of Tanzania under the UN Women (by then UNIFEM).

Building capacity of communities on laws and human rights

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From 2007 to 2009 Anna played an active role in reviewing paralegals training manuals including Paralegal’s Training Manual on Land Laws as well as playing a role of facilitator to empower the local communities through paralegals as she participated in paralegals trainings on human rights and legal framework. Later in 2017 the United Republic of Tanzania enacted the legislation to recognise the operations of community advocates (paralegals) the Paralegals Act of which Anna championed as the Director of Advocacy and Reforms at the Legal and Human Rights Centre.[31]

Land and economic rights

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Anna participated in empowerment of women on land rights particular on implementation of the then newly enacted laws especially on composition of women in land dispute settlement organs i.e. ward tribunal and village land council. Reviewing the Paralegals Training Manual on Land Laws as well as playing an active role of empowerment of paralegals complimented to the realization of women’s right to property ownership especially in areas with paralegals.[32]

Awards and Recognitions

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Year Prize
2019 International Women of Courage[33][34][35][36]

References

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  1. ^ "LHRC Homepage". www.humanrights.or.tz. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  2. ^ "Executive Team". www.humanrights.or.tz. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  3. ^ Henga, Anna (2019-02-02). "The Citizen". The Citizen. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  4. ^ Henga, Anna (2019-01-25). "Kudos Sweden for Aiding Rights Advocacy". The Citizen. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  5. ^ Anna, Henga (2018-11-23). "LHRC reveals rights abuses in illegal fishing operation". The Citizen. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  6. ^ LHRC (2019-01-23). "LHRC yaeleza mipango yake ya miaka sita ijayo". Mwananchi. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  7. ^ LHRC (2019-01-14). "LHRC yalaani tukio la trafiki watatu kumshambulia dereva". Mwananchi. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  8. ^ Anna, Henga (2018-11-24). "LHRC: Operation Sangara tramples on human rights". The Guardian. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  9. ^ Henga, Anna (2018-12-10). "The Citizen". The Citizen. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  10. ^ "Southern African Legal Assistance Network (SALAN)". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  11. ^ "What you need to know about LHRC new boss". The Citizen. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  12. ^ Anna Henga, LHRC. "Henga replaces Dr Kijo-Bisimba as LHRC boss". www.dailynews.co.tz. Retrieved 2019-01-10. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  13. ^ "Introducing the LHRC new Executive Director, Ms. Anna Aloys Henga". www.humanrights.or.tz. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  14. ^ Worldwide, Netizen 24. "Netizen 24 ZAF: Tanzania: What You Need to Know About the New Boss Leading Tanzania's Human Rights Body". Netizen 24 South Africa. Retrieved 2019-01-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ James, Bernard; Mwananchi. "Mjue Anna Henga, mrithi wa Dk Kijo Bisimba LHRC". mobile.mwananchi.co.tz. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  16. ^ "NEWS » | IPPMEDIA". www.ippmedia.com. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  17. ^ "LHRC yalaani ukiukwaji wa haki za binadamu | East Africa Television". www.eatv.tv. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  18. ^ Jamhuri. "LHRC Yabaini Mapungufu Kibao Uchaguzi wa Madiwani | Gazeti la Jamhuri". Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  19. ^ "Police return poll tallying devices". The Citizen. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  20. ^ "Freedom of Expression" (PDF). www.policyforum-tz.org. Retrieved 2019-01-10. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  21. ^ "Unknown Tanzanian Works Minister set to become fifth president as opposition heads for the courts | The London Evening Post | Page 2". Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  22. ^ "Tanzanian Affairs » Politics". Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  23. ^ "Evaluation of Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) in Tanzania" (PDF). www.sida.se. Retrieved 2019-01-10. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  24. ^ Reporter, Citizen (2018-02-20). "Tanzania: Human Rights Body Condemns Killing of Akwilina By Police". The Citizen (Dar es Salaam). Retrieved 2019-01-10. {{cite news}}: no-break space character in |work= at position 17 (help)
  25. ^ "Civic Actors Have Urged the Tanzanian Government to Uphold Freedom of Expression | Policy Forum". www.policyforum-tz.org. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  26. ^ "Katiba - is the constitution relevant to people's lives? :: Popular booklets :: Twaweza :: Publications :: Twaweza.org". www.twaweza.org. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  27. ^ "Interview with Anna Henga | SOAWR". www.soawr.org. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  28. ^ "STOP Trafficking of Women and Girls | LeilasCafe". Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  29. ^ "SOAWR COALITION ANNUAL REVIEW" (PDF). www.soawr.org. Retrieved 2019-01-10. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  30. ^ "Beyond Human Rights Education: A Critique from the Global to the Local" (PDF). wrap.warwick.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-01-10. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  31. ^ "LHRC trains paralegals in Dar on human rights issues". The Citizen. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  32. ^ "About". Tanzania Land Alliance. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  33. ^ International Women of Courage, IWOC 2019. "Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo At the International Women of Courage (IWOC) Awards Ceremon". U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 16 March 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  34. ^ International Women of Courage, IWOC. "2019 International Women of Courage Award Recipients Announced Secretary of State Pompeo To Honor Awardees on March 7; Special Remarks by First Lady of the United States Melania Trump". U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  35. ^ Henga, Anna. "US Top Diplomat, First Lady Honor 'Women of Courage'". VOA. VOA. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  36. ^ Henga, Anna. "U.S. honours three African women from Djibouti, Egypt and Tanzania for courage". Face2face. Fac2Face. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
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