The First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, urged women to work hard and exploit the environment that offers them level ground so as to achieve their potential and get rid of poverty.

Mrs Kagame was speaking yesterday at the Oxford Human Rights Conference on Women and Poverty, hosted in Kigali.

The international conference attracted over 100 particiapnts and was organised by the University of Oxford, University of Rwanda and University of Cape Town.

"Gone are the business-as-usual days when men and boys were the only ones who went to school, gained employment and owned all the assets. Gone are the days when women stayed home to cook, clean and have children. We now celebrate the great strides made in advancing women’s roles and rights in the different societies represented in the room,” she said.

The First Lady noted that much as the world has changed to advance the rights of women, Rwanda’s situation was unique due to the country’s history.

"We came from a society defined by alienation, oppression and separation.  Women had no rights to inherit property or any asset. A woman was prohibited from conducting business, unless she had permission from her husband, to do so. Our society was purely patriarchal, with little consideration for women. They were considered movable assets, with the primary purpose of bearing children,” she said.

"I believe that I speak for Rwanda, when I say, that the government has established a favorable environment for women to thrive. At the same time, we are mindful of our responsibility to keep fighting for the rights of women and girls; the journey that lies ahead is still long.”

Mrs Kagame added that with a population of 52 percent women in Rwanda, the country was faced with a complex task of healing wounds as well as building basic infrastructure.

"There was the conviction that freeing the productive and creative energies of women was fundamental for the case of Rwanda, there was no alternative because we had just emerged from an atrocious genocide,” she said.

The First Lady highlighted that women became a powerful force for change, from the smallest village council to the highest tiers of national government.

"We saw that without a deliberate effort, it would be an uphill task to reverse centuries of gender imbalance. It became, and still is today, a constitutional requirement to have 30 percent women in decision-making positions in the public sector.”

Rwanda enjoys the highest female legislative representation worldwide at 64 percent, while 40 percent of the cabinet and judiciary are made up of women.

On the education front, Rwanda achieved universal education, while girls’ enrolment rate at primary school is at 98 percent.

"Discrimination or exclusion for any citizen is punishable by Rwandan law. With a sense of dignity and self-worth, Rwandan women have been given a chance to contribute to nation building,” the First Lady added.

Professor Timothy Endicott, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Oxford University, told the conference that despite economic progress of many African states, many women still suffer due to poverty, which is also another form of gender inequality.

"The Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda is the most radical example of atrocities that violated the dignity of women in African history. We have however seen the restructuring of the Rwandan society that has led to development and the respect of women rights by giving them equal opportunity,” Endicott said.

"African states should realise that when they are at peace, poverty becomes the greatest enemy of the dignity of women. Alleviation of poverty should therefore be made a priority if women rights are to be fully observed.”

Other notable speakers at the conference included Sam Rugege, the Chief Justice and Caroline Ojwang, the international Academic Programmes Office, University of Cape Town.

Key issues discussed included exploring the potential of Socio-economic rights to remedy women’s poverty, as well as the inclusion of women in labour law and social security.

According to the organizers, the conference brings together leading actors in various disciplines working in poverty, gender equality and human rights with the hope of fostering a network to improve ways in which human rights frameworks can address the problems of women’s poverty.