First Lady wins award for fight against GBV

First Lady Jeannette Kagame, was on Tuesday, awarded for her contribution towards the fight against Gender Based Violence and promotion of women empowerment in the country. The award was bestowed to her at the 5th Kigali International Conference Declaration (KICD) General Assembly, organised by the Directorate General of the National Police (DGSN), in Algerian capital, Algiers, . The meeting, which was held on the margins of celebrations to mark International Women’s Day, was named after KICD, adopted in 2010 as response to the call for action by UN Secretary General, in the framework of Africa UNiTE campaign. The First Lady was recognized for pioneering the scaling up of the innovative Isange One Stop Centre, an initiative which has holistically prevented and responded to GBV and child abuse across the country. At the function, the top award went to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, while the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon became the third recipient. Emulate Isange “Members to the Kigali Declaration have adopted the Isange One Stop Centre model as best practice and a tool for campaign against GBV and child abuse,” reads a press statement released after the Algiers meeting. The award for Mrs Kagame was presented to the Inspector General of Rwanda National Police, CG Emmanuel K. Gasana who attended the meeting. The minister of gender and family promotion Oda Gasinzigwa announced the news of the award on Tuesday evening, during a Unity Club IWD gala dinner that the First Lady had attended. In her remarks delivered at the gala, Mrs Kagame said that, it is a privilege but yet still a reminder that there is more to be done in fighting against gender based violence and ensuring women empowerment. “Gender-based violence is still a reality and this goes against what we stand for as a nation. We cannot rest as long as there will be a girl, or a woman, targeted because of her gender,” she said, adding that legislators will always be put to task to ensure the legal framework is in place to combat GBV. The 5th Kigali International Conference Declaration had met in Algeria to deliberate on the role of security organs to end violence against women and girls, a meeting which took place in Algiers, Algeria from March 7 to 8. The KICD secretariat was established in Kigali in 2010 and since then, 43 African countries have subscribed to it and international organizations like the African Union, the United Nations, Interpol, among others, have also joined it.

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First Lady wins award for fight against GBV