Why domestic violence persists in Kitabi

SOUTHERN PROVINCE NYAMAGABE – Venuste Harerimana, a resident of Nyamagabe district was until recently not aware that forcing his wife to have sexual intercourse is domestic violence. Illegal in Rwanda under the Domestic Violence Act. This was one of the testimonies heard at a recent domestic violence sensitisation seminar, in Kitabi, Nyamagabe district - the reason the vice probably prevails in some rural areas, is ignorance. “I was not aware that one can be accused of raping his wife until they explained to me that no one should have sex with his wife without her consent. Before, I regarded it as violence against (men) if she rejects your sexual advances that I perceived as the very essence of marriage,” said Harerimana. After attending a series of sensitisation workshops, Kitabi residents have now realised they used to violate women’s rights unknowingly. Virginie Mukamurera, of the National Council of Women representative in the area, was part of the gender sensitisation meeting. According to various testimonies, men used to ignore a lot in their families which would lead to the violation of rights of women and children. Gervais Ntakirutimana, another resident said that, after attending such workshops men have also learnt that child labour is violence against children. “We found out that domestic violence is perpetrated by drunken husbands who harass their wives at home, men who deprive their spouses of their rights on family property and parents who deny their children proper feeding,” said Ntakirutimana. During the workshop, Mukamurera pointed out that up to now some husbands still beat their wives and then buy them new clothes to persuade them not to report them to the police. To curb the vice, she said, women should become financially self reliant and reduce dependency on their husbands. “Instead of begging everything like salt, soap we have to set up income generating projects. For example, in our Sector we are going to mobilise our fellow women to form cooperatives, cultivate and make handcrafts for sale so that we will able to buy any type of clothes we need,” said Mukamurera. According to Barthazal Nizeyimana, the coordinator of a Non -Profit-Making Project for the Promotion of Women Initiatives, known by its French acronym as IPFG, domestic violence can end with mass sensitisation workshops. “…bringing women and men together to encourage them to work jointly to stem domestic violence will bear positive results,” said Nizeyimana. The seminar was organised by IPFG, with funding from a local NGO, PAGOR which supports local governance in Rwanda. PAGOR currently operates in Nyaruguru and Nyamagabe districts. Ends