The Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF) has called for efforts to fight Gender-Based Violence (GBV) to continue even after the 16 Days of Activism, as the root causes of GBV have not yet been eradicated.
The Director General in charge of Family Promotion and Child Protection at MIGEPROF highlighted this on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, during the closing ceremony of the campaign in Gasabo District.
Every year, from November 16 to December 10, Rwanda joins the rest of the world in the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
During the closing ceremony of this campaign in Gasabo District, the District Executive Administrator, BAYASESE Bernard, highlighted the various activities carried out during the 16 days aimed at building a family free from violence.
“We carried out several activities, including attending Umugoroba w’Umuryango (family evening dialogues), delivering messages during community gatherings, and organizing sports activities in different sectors. These aimed at encouraging young people early on to understand that a healthy family should exist without violence, whether against women or men.” He said.
He added that “Another initiative involved training various local leaders, volunteers, Inshuti z’Umuryango (Friends of the Family), community health workers, and village leaders to equip them with knowledge on reporting mechanisms and the appropriate channels for sharing information.”
The leaders were also trained on how to preserve evidence in cases of violence, which plays a critical role in aiding judicial authorities in their work.
Like other activities conducted across the country, the Director General for Family Promotion and Child Protection at MIGEPROF, Umutoni Aline, called for these efforts to continue beyond the 16 Days of Activism.
She stated, “The 16 days have ended, but the awareness campaigns should be ongoing because the causes of Gender-Based Violence and its consequences do not simply stop. We urge everyone to take this issue personally.”
DG Aline also called on family members not to remain silent when someone has been subjected to violence.
The Réseau des Femmes organization, as one of the partners of the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, said that they are committed to continuing awareness campaigns to combat Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
Mukeshimana Séraphine, a staff member of the organization, responsible for coordinating the activities of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Project known as SDSR-Rwanda [a project implemented by Réseau des Femmes in all 15 sectors of Gasabo District, in partnership with L’AMIE with funding from Global Affairs Canada], explained their approach:
“In terms of preventing Gender-Based Violence, the first thing Réseau des Femmes does is hold discussions with the community through platforms such as community gatherings and family evening dialogues (Umugoroba w’Umuryango) to promote peaceful families. Another key activity is educating women about their rights, ensuring this is done without undermining the rights of their husbands” she said.
She emphasized, “What we are going to do, is to continue these discussions.”
Law No. 59/2008 of 2008 on Prevention and Punishment of Gender-Based Violence defines GBV as “any act that results in a bodily, psychological, sexual and economic harm to somebody just because they are female or male. Such act results in the deprivation of freedom and negative consequences. This violence may be exercised within or outside households.”
Gender-Based Violence is categorized into four types: physical violence, emotional violence, economic violence, and sexual violence.
