Safety on shore – promoting safe spaces for women in Zanzibar’s Blue Economy

On the coast of the Bweleo village, waves lap gently against the sandy shore in a soothing rhythm, washing up the occasional strand of seaweed and moss with each turn. About a kilometer offshore, six women work steadily against the pull of the tides, their hands sure and practiced as they secure wooden poles and adjust lines strung with seaweed crops.

Among them is Ghania Bakari Makungu, who has spent the past decade cultivating the ocean’s bounty – planting, harvesting, and processing seaweed as part of Ukweli ni Njia Safi, a women’s farming collective founded by her mother.

“For as long as I lived, my mother farmed and sold seaweed, and the income from that has seen me through school. So, when I graduated, that was what I wanted to do,” says Makungu.

The work, she says, has been rewarding. Every day, she spends hours tending to her crop before heading to the centre where the collective processes seaweed into soap, lotion, and food products. The business has also enhanced her family's income security, allowing them to build their own home and grow Ukweli ni Njia Safi into a recognized brand.

Yet, the work is not without risks. In Zanzibar, where approximately two-thirds of the GDP is linked to the Blue Economy, seaweed farming has become a vital source of income for women, with national exports exceeding USD 1 million annually. The work requires long hours in the water, often without access to private facilities, exposing women to health risks, lack of privacy, sexual harassment, and other forms of gender-based violence (GBV).

For many, reaching the ocean means walking up to 45 minutes, increasing vulnerability to harassment. Transporting seaweed to processing points adds further risks, including exposure to economic exploitation due to insecure contracts. Climate change is also forcing seaweed farms to move into deeper waters, making the work more physically demanding.

“To get healthier crops, we have to farm further and further away, but since most women can’t swim, we have to pay men to do it for us,” says Makungu.

Strengthening Prevention and Response to Violence Against Women and Girls

In Zanzibar, there were 2,762 reported cases of violence against women and girls in 2023.

Through an ongoing project supported by the European Union, UN Women is working with the Government of Zanzibar to prevent and respond to GBV, including in public spaces. The project strengthens laws and policies, improves data collection, engages communities and transport associations, and builds survivor-centered referral systems by training police and paralegals.

Since implementation began in 2022, it has delivered significant results. In collaboration with the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Elders and Children and other partners, the project finalized the second phase of the National Plan of Action to End Violence Against Women and Children (NPA-VAWC) and is supporting the review of laws to enhance protection and justice for survivors.

More than 250 focal persons appointed at vocational training colleges were trained to serve as referral points for VAWG cases, embedding accountability mechanisms within institutions. In parallel, 105 police officers were trained on survivor-centered case management.

Furthermore, over 14,000 community members, women’s groups, and public transport operators have been engaged through dialogues and training sessions on GBV prevention, contributing to shifting harmful norms and fostering safer, more supportive public and community spaces for women and girls. These combined efforts, along with improved coordination between health and police services, contributed to a 43.7 per cent increase in GBV reporting between 2022 and 2023.

At the 7th Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces Forum held in Zanzibar City through the global Safe Cities and Public Spaces Initiative, the President of Zanzibar, H.E. Hussein Ally Mwinyi, reaffirmed his government’s commitment to sustaining these efforts.

“Development without the safety of all is incomplete. We believe that safety is not merely an outcome of development; when a concerted multisectoral approach to prevention is in place, it is also a precondition for sustainable development. We believe that when safety is guaranteed in public spaces, women’s voices grow louder, their choices expand, and communities become more resilient and cohesive,” said President Mwinyi.

Safer Spaces, Stronger Communities

As a recipient of training on GBV prevention, Makungu says she now feels better equipped to protect herself and support others.

“I learned about the different forms of GBV, and how to assess my surroundings to make sure I don’t put myself at risk. Although Bweleo is very safe, I appreciated this knowledge a lot.”

For Makungu and many others across Zanzibar, efforts to ensure safe cities and safe public spaces mean more than security on the shore; they mean the freedom to work, travel, and thrive without fear.

With government leadership, community engagement, and the continued support of partners, these efforts seek to lay a foundation for a Zanzibar where women’s economic empowerment and safety go hand in hand, strengthening not only livelihoods but also the resilience of entire communities.