Beware of social media bullying, CJ tells judges

Prof Juma made the call in Dar es Salaam yesterday when addressing women judges and magistrates who were marking this year’s International Women Day.

Referring to a study conducted in the US some years ago about the stress and frustrations among American judges, Prof Juma said court decision making needs free-mindedness.

He said that according to research, there are 37 causes of stress for judges and magistrates which originate from social media.

"I once asked a female judge about how she feels about social media bullying. She said her decisions in courts sometimes lead to bullying by some people on social media" he said.

He said in other cases, the conduct of the evidence given is not satisfactory, but the judge is forced to give judgment based on the evidence presented, which leads to mental stress.

"Another reason that leads to stress for judges is the kind of cases they preside over. You may find that members of the same family struggle with their family dispute, they bring it to court and they expect the judge to choose a side,” he said.

Barke Sehel, Association of Tanzania’s Women Judges and Magistrates (TAWJA) chairperson who is Judge of the Court of Appeal, said that there has been an increase in the number of judges, magistrates and other female court officials since 1970 when retired Judge Eusebia Munuo first became the first female judge in the country.

Sehel said currently, in the Court of Appeal has 13 women judges out of 35 while in the high court there are 38 out of 105.