Violence Against Women
Source: The Rwanda Focus
Rwanda joined the rest of the world in marking the One Billion Rising for Justice campaign against gender-based violence.
One Billion Rising is a global campaign to end to violence against women, speak up for justice, and promote gender equality and was started in 2012 as part of the Valentines Day movement. The "billion" refers to the UN statistic that one in three women will be raped or beaten in their lifetime, totaling approximately one billion women worldwide who have experienced gender-based violence.
In 2012, the One Billion Rising campaign culminated in the biggest mass global action to end violence against women ever, with tens of thousands of events held in more than 190 countries.
In Rwanda, the event culminated in an event held in Kigali in the district of Nyarugenge organized by the Rwanda Association of Midwives in collaboration with the University of Rwanda Health and sciences school.
Statutory rape cases top Rwanda's gender-based crime list as of 2012, despite the reduction in the reported cases of gender-based violence (GBV), according to statistics obtained from the Rwanda National Police.
Recorded cases of GBV fell by 3.9% in 2012 to 3,444 from 3,585 cases in 2011, mainly because of the increased public awareness campaigns and law enforcement, according to statistics from Police. They had risen by 4.6% in 2011 to 3,585 cases from 3,427 in 2010.
Statutory rape, or forced sexual intercourse with persons aged below 18 years, dominated the GBV crime list, representing 47% of the total recorded cases. This was the third year such cases topped the GBV crime list since 2010.
The fight to stop gender-based violence in the country involves activists, writers, academicians and prominent female celebrities.
Speaking at the event held in Nyarugenge district, the outgoing Miss Rwanda, Mutesi Aurore, noted the need for sensitization on what GBV is.
"Most women think gender based violence is being beaten physically, but even denial of financial support is a form of GBV," Aurore noted.
The campaign was initiated by American playwright and activist Eve Ensler (known for her play The Vagina Monologues). She also works with rape victims in the DRC.
The event was sponsored by Sulfo Rwanda Industries under their Pure water brand.
