A reported case of some minors – aged between 12 and 16 years – who are ‘engaged in sex work’ in Bugesera District, has shocked the public, raising concerns over child rights protection, and exposing a serious defilement issue.

Bugesera District Mayor, Richard Mutabazi, said the case was exposed by a journalist at a press conference convened by the district early this week, adding that the district was not aware of it before. Mutabazi was speaking to journalists at the launch of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), which was held in Bugesera District, on November 25.

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Some of the affected youngsters who talked to a local media channel argued that it is poor living conditions and poverty that pushed them into ‘sex work’ – as a source of livelihood.

Mutabazi said the district leadership is basing on the tip from the journalist to investigate the issue for an informed response.

"We are going to probe the issue because we cannot ignore information pointing to children being defiled or indulging in sex work. It is a sad issue that must be dealt with,” he said.

"A child should not be blamed for getting involved in sex work, the problem is factors that make them get into it. That is what we are looking into, how can she be helped to get rid of it, who engaged her in it so that they are held responsible for that, and how the child gets their hope restored, either by making sure that the ones who dropped out of school go back to school, or the one who lacks livelihood gets it,” he said.

Speaking to The New Times, MP Madina Ndangiza said that children can be easily duped by people who want to exploit them sexually, pointing out "You cannot say that you had sex with a minor upon consent.”

She observed that if the sex work involving minors in Bugesera District is real, it must be tackled with a sense of urgency.

"If this problem has been exposed, it should not be overlooked. This is a case that should be urgently tackled by the leadership,” she said.

For her, sex work might not be taken as a major problem if it involves an adult who has chosen to engage in it, "but a child must be protected” to save their future.

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Under Rwandan legislation, a minor or child is a person who is below the age of 18 – with the age of consent being 18.

Meanwhile, data from the National Commission for Human Rights’ 2021-2022 annual report revealed the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA) received 5,278 cases of sex-based violence (defilement) committed against children, but 2,271 or 43 per cent of the total, were not taken to courts because they lacked evidence.

ALSO RED: Defilement offenders face ‘legal action at any point in their lives’

Rwanda initiated its penal code amendment to make child defilement an imprescriptible crime, meaning that the offender can be prosecuted anytime regardless of lapsed time since the commission of the offence.

The move seeks to address a situation where a defilement crime was subject to a 10-year sentence, implying that the offender could evade justice for 10 years after committing it, and would not be prosecuted later.