Secondary school students could play a significant role in crime prevention and reduction, according to the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB).

In its ongoing nationwide anti-crime campaign, RIB is banking on secondary school students, most of them in their teens, to help prevent defilement, drug abuse, human trafficking and terrorism crimes.

According to figures from RIB, the number of reported defilement cases rose over the last three years, from 3,433 in 2018-19 to 5,330 in 2020-21.

A breakdown of the reported cases shows teenagers (15-17 years of age) are the category most affected by defilement.

Children aged between 15 and 17 years make 53 percent of 12,840 defilement cases for the last three years.

For drug abuse cases, there's an upward trend in reported cases. In 2018-19, the reported cases totalled to 6,064. In 2020-21 the cases reached 7,733.

Despite the rise in reported defilement cases, RIB says the figures do not necessarily reflect a rise in crimes committed over the last three years.

Instead, the upward trend could mean people are increasingly reporting to the investigators, hence the rise in reported cases, thanks to awareness campaigns. 

Nonetheless, targeting young people in the anti-crime campaign, RIB says, could reverse the trend in actual crimes.

"For our campaign, we selected the four crimes which mostly affect the youth, that is, the victims and suspects are mostly youth," Col Jeannot Ruhunga, RIB Secretary General, said earlier this week at the launch of the campaign in the Northern Province.

"Most of the victims are targeted by criminals because they are not aware of how the crimes are committed. They are not cautious about the crimes. However, when we meet the students and talk to them, there's no doubt some of the crimes are prevented.”

As an emerging crime, human trafficking is affecting Rwandan youth, who are lured by false promises of jobs, scholarships and marriage.

According to RIB, 215 cases of human trafficking have been reported since 2018. Women are two times more vulnerable to human trafficking than men, while children under 18 make 32 percent of the victims.

However, most of the victims of human trafficking have at least once heard about its effects and the tricks involved.

During the campaign, former victims shared testimonies of their ordeal. They shared how they left the country by illegal means, facilitated by customs officers who are in liaison with the traffickers in the Middle East.

RIB says campaigns help reduce the number of potential victims.

Some students said the anti-crime campaign in schools brought the crimes to their attention.

"They have shown us the crimes affecting the youth and ones committed by the youth, such as drug abuse, and human trafficking. Sometimes, we think we cannot fall victim to these crimes, but as they have demonstrated to us, we can be targeted through many ways," Grace Aser of Sonrise School in Musanze District said.

Enny Gakunzi of Muhabura Technical College said: "We've learnt about crimes affecting young people in Rwanda, and the ways we can help reduce crimes through sharing information to authorities and counselling those who are likely to be targeted."

For the campaign to reach more people, RIB advised students to initiate anti-crime clubs in schools.