Avoid GBV to stop HIV/Aids spread, men urged

A local non-governmental organisation, Rwanda Men’s Resource Centre (Rwamrec), has urged men and youth to get involved with the fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV). The Executive Secretary of Rwamrec, Edouard Munyamaliza, said some men do not care for their children, adding that this hampers efforts to build a society that offers equal opportunities to both genders.“Our aim is to encourage men to improve maternal and child health as well as sexual-reproductive health and rights,” he said.Munyamaliza was addressing a news conference in Kigali recently. He said cultural norms that are prevalent in the countryside deny women equal opportunities and reduce them to second class citizens.Munyamaliza said women, especially in the countryside, are abused whenever they attempt to demand for equal opportunities as men.The conference was attended by members of other local NGOs such as Men’s Care Plus and Rwanda Network of Journalism against HIV/Aids (Abasirwa). Innocent Bahati, the executive secretary of Abasirwa, urged Rwandans, especially married couples, to shun domestic violence to help curb the spread of HIV/Aids. He warned that men and women who have experienced violence have high chances of contracting Sexually Transmitted Diseases, including HIV/Aids, because of unstable relationships.“Shamsi Kazimbaya, the project coordinator of the National Men Care+, a local NGO, said there is need for Rwandan men to support women’s quest for leadership roles in society to so as to promote positive masculinity.“Men should love their wives and be caring fathers who are supportive of gender equality and women empowerment through mobilising communities to reject violence and redefine masculine identity,” Kazimbaya said.