Rwanda: Gender Violence Law to Be Passed in Two Weeks

Eugene Kwibuka

11 February 2009

Kigali — The long-awaited special law against Gender Based Violence (GBV) is expected to be published in the next two weeks, Cabinet Affairs Minister Charles Murigande revealed yesterday.

The law of prevention and punishment of GBV is now in the phase of promulgation after both chambers of parliament passed it last year. Many activists have been pushing for its publication to reduce cases of gender based violence in the country.

Murigande said that the reason that delayed the publication of this law is that it took time for the Ministry of Justice to review and translate into different languages all the laws that were passed by parliament before the dissolution of its lower Chamber last year.

Parliament was dissolved mid last year after the expiration of its mandate to pave way for the elections that were held in September last year.

He said that about 55 laws were submitted in a short period last year and the law against GBV is probably among the remaining seven laws that will be published soon.

"What I can promise is that it will be published next I believe in two weeks maximum," he said in a telephone interview yesterday.

The new law defines and penalises different forms of gender based violence that were not previously provided for in ordinary laws. It is expected to especially protect women and children victims of violent behaviours afflicted against them, specialists say.

"There are things that were not punishable, like rape among spouses that was ignored by our laws," explained Aimable Nibishaka, a Member of Parliament (MP) who has been on the parliamentary committee on gender.

A report covering cases of GBV since 2005 up to 2008 by the Rwanda National Police revealed alarming cases of attacks against women including rape, defilement, corporal punishment as well as murder by their husbands.

It pointed out that during the last three years, 259 wives were murdered by their husbands, over 2,000 cases of rape were reported to the police, and there were almost 10,000 cases of defilement of children below the age of 18.

Many campaigns against GBV were carried out in the country late last year and most of the activists urged for the publication of the new law.

"This law is urgently needed given the problems in place," one of the activists against GBV who is also among top officials in the Ministry of Justice told The New times yesterday.

An official in charge of inspecting Courts and Tribunals in the country said last October that close to 600 cases of people seeking divorce had appeared in twelve provincial courts of the country between January and July 2008 and most of their claims were related to violence against women.

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http://allafrica.com/stories/200901121624.html

Rwanda: Gender-Based Violence Has Dire Social Implications

Sam Ruburika

10 January 2009

Despite the fact that Rwanda is one of the most gender-equal countries when it comes to official positions, gender-based violence is still a big problem. One of the most appalling statistics in this respect is that, according to a recent police report, every six hours a woman is raped.

It was in this regard that the police, in conjunction with pro-women organizations, have organized a sixteen-day long campaign against gender-based violence, under the theme Women rights and humanity.

The objective of the campaign was to engage both men and boys in the eradication of gender-based violence, and promote active engagement of police and the army in the process. It consisted mainly of countrywide conferences and sensitization sessions.

According to Shirley Randall, the senior advisor of education at the Netherlands Development Agency (SNV), the two weeks were an opportunity to sensitize and provide support to women who have been victims of violence.

She further pointed out that in the past women have been the easy targets for gender-based violence and that the community has stigmatized them. She therefore welcomed the support by the police which has opened a special office that which deals with such cases.

Therese Bishagara, the chairwoman of the women's association Profemme Twesehamwe, called on both men and women to get involved, adding that there should be more discussion with all the members of the society so as to have a common ground on the importance of combating gender-based violence.

"There should be discussions with children, mothers, fathers, as well as teenagers, so as to get everyone involved," Bishagara said.

She also stressed the important role religious denominations can play in sensitizing their congregations on the adverse effects of gender- based violence on women as well as the community in general.

Three cases per day

The UN residence coordinator in Rwanda, Aurelien Agbenoncim, pointed out that women often belong to vulnerable groups of people living below the poverty line or infected with HIV/AIDS, and are the prime target of sexual and gender-based violence.

"It's shaming that the level of gender-based violence is increasing," Agbenonci said.

He however praised the national police for what he called the fantastic job in tackling gender-based violence cases, adding that the increased reporting of such cases was good although it is also an indication of the extent of the crisis which requires immediate action.

In Niboye sector, in Kicukiro district, three gender-based violence cases are reported every day. According to Beatrice Nzaramba, in charge of gender affairs at the sector, men tend to beat women in a way that leaves no visible bruises, and that women tend not to report on the basis of "Nikozubakwa," meaning "that is how a family is maintained."

She recounted the heartbreaking story of a 14-year-old housekeeper raped by her boss, and who was subsequently fired when she was found to be pregnant. She became traumatized, and rejected the baby after giving birth. The girl is now undergoing counseling.

Nzaramba also pointed to the effect of such violence on children, citing cases of kids getting into drugs to forget what takes place in their homes.

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