KIGALI - The United Nations in Rwanda has joined the "16 Days of Activism against Violence” campaign in an event held in Muhanga District.

The opening ceremony was presided over by officials from the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion. The Rwanda Defence Forces, the National Police, the United Nations, Public Prosecution and opinion leaders participated in the launch.

Community members were urged to change their behaviour and attitudes towards women. A testimony was shared by one man who had stopped being violent against his wife.

The community was commended for the role it played to rehabilitate the man by offering a certificate of confidence after executing behavioural change.

The Rwandan Defence Forces engaged the audience with songs on ending violence, emphasizing the commitment of the military forces to ending violence against women and children.

"The UN highly appreciates the commitment of both the Government and Civil Society to end this violence. What is crucial now is the implementation of the laws and policies in place. We need to work together to ensure that Rwandan citizens know their rights and responsibilities,” UN Resident Coordinator Aurélien Agbénonci said.

This year’s global theme of the 16 Days of Activism is, ‘We CAN End Violence against Women’.

The campaign honours groups and individuals who commit to bring attention to GBV and, encourages everyone to take action to end it, and demands accountability for all of the promises made to eliminate GBV.

In Rwanda, the campaign is coordinated by the National Women’s Council and and supported by the United Nations.
Focus is put on the implementation and dissemination of the Gender-Based Violence Law. Despite the law being in place, its existence and content are still unknown to a wide public.

"Violence is often considered to exclusively be an issue related to women and girls,” UNIFEM Regional Director Josephine Odera pointed out.

"The more so we need to remind men and boys of their responsibilities to ensure a peaceful coexistence. If we are to tackle violence successfully, we need to take a closer look on male identities and stereotypes.”

Particular focus is put on mobilizing men and boys in the prevention and fight against GBV.

For this reason, prior to the official launch of the campaign, the UN, in coordination with the National Women’s Council, organized a Town Hall meeting (Kubaza Bitera Kumenya) on November 22, 2009 that brought together the Minister of Gender, the National Prosecutor, the Chief Gender Monitor as well as representatives from police to discuss male involvement.

Two outstanding role models – singer Alpha and cultural leader Kalisa Rugano – also participated in the campaign and publicly spoke out against violence, pointing out the need to reconsider male identities and behaviours in order to successfully prevent and fight GBV.

The campaign ends on December 12, 2009 with a march in Kigali.

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