Hundreds of students in Kigali City, yesterday, took part in activities to launch a campaign against Gender Based Violence (GBV).

Indeed, several youth spoke against GBV and pledged to actively fight the vice, which does not only violate the rights of the victims and erode society of values and dignity, but it also leads to dire health consequences.

At the same time, the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion is leading a nationwide crusade, dubbed Family Campaign, which seeks to restore the sacredness of family values and responsibilities, in the wake of the increasingly loosening of family and societal bonds.

Under this campaign, the government and other stakeholders have targeted the youth. They acknowledge that the youth are key players in fighting any form of public indecency and moral degradation.

The youth do not only constitute the vast majority of the Rwandan population, but are also the bridge between the present and the future. By designing public awareness tools that are specifically targeting the young generation, the organisers of both the anti-GBV and the Family campaigns are spot on.

Nonetheless, it’s imperative that such campaigns go beyond Kigali and other major towns, so as to benefit some of the remotest parts of the country, where gender related crimes are most prevalent.

Equally important is the creation of permanent youth forums such as in school and villages that actively speak out against GBV, drug abuse and other impropriate behaviour, and ensure that such platforms are sustained and replicated across the country.

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