Female police officers vow to prevent GBV

Female Police officers have vowed to fight for the rights of women and girls in their respective areas of operation by preventing gender related crimes, which are relatively still high in the country.The female officers made the commitment on Saturday at the closure of this year’s Female Police Convention held at the Peace Leadership Academy in Nkumba, Burera District.The two-day event brought together 700 female police officers drawn from different Police Units in the country, to discuss several gender-related issues and lay strategies to overcome the existing challenges.The event also offered the female officers with more skills and knowledge to deal with these challenges.The annual event, organised by Rwanda National Police in partnership with the Gender Monitoring Office and One-UN, was held under the theme, “Unite to End Gender Based Violence.”Participants were equipped with skills on how to fight the vice, laws that penalise culprits, gender context in Rwanda and programmes and mechanisms at Isange One Stop Centre.The Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Administration and Personnel, Stanley Nsabimana, urged participants to put into practice the acquired skills and knowledge to help end gender violence, which he said affects the development of communities.He also told them to pass the acquired skills to their colleagues in order to fight the vice collectively.Lamine Maneh, the One-UN Resident Coordinator and representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Rwanda, commended the country’s significant role in fighting GBV.Rose Rwabuhihi, the Chief Gender Monitor, also challenged the officers to use the techniques to enhance the campaign against GBV in the country.