President Paul Kagame has said it's both "a legal obligation and moral duty” to eradicate the violence against women and girls.

The President was speaking today at the launch of a training course for more than 170 senior security officials from across Africa, dubbed the Africa UNITE Command Post Exercise, at the Rwanda National Police Headquarters in Kacyiru, Kigali.

He thanked national security organs for being at the frontline of the battle against sexual abuse.

"In Rwanda, ending violence against women and girls is a moral duty, a legal obligation and definition of who we are as a nation,” he said. "It is unacceptable that one in every three women around the world has been beaten, sexually assaulted or abused.”

Kagame also said that the fight against gender-based violence should be an integral part of training of security and law enforcement. "We need to ensure that security forces do not perpetuate the culture of silence around this violence.”

The training attracted heads of security organs from nearly 40 African countries and is expected to draw an action plan on how the continent will combat violence against women and girls.

According to UNFPA, as many as one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or abused in some other way around the world.

And at least one woman in four has been abused during pregnancy, the UN agency says.