WESTERN PROVINCE RUBAVU — The Rwanda Woman’s Network (RWN) has designed a new campaign to stem gender based violence in the country. This was revealed on Tuesday by RWN’s country coordinator; Annonciata Mukeyitete while closing a one-day workshop on gender based violence (GBV) in Gisenyi town. The campaign, she said, will involve raising awareness against the vice through anti GBV clubs that would be set up at cell and village levels. The workshop, sponsored by Action Aid, brought together 42 women coordinators from Gisenyi, Nyamyumba and Rubavu Sectors,was called to assess RWN’s last year’s achievements. ‘Gender based violence is still a problem especially in rural areas, that’s why new strategies are needed to clamp on this vice. Participants have shown their achievements in the past months through continuous sensitisation of residents in homes and schools on the dangers of gender based violence. However, reports of violence are still high. That’s why we need to go down to lower levels such as cells and villages’, Mukeyitete said. She attributed the vice to and increased poverty among women ignorance. ‘Most of the victims of gender-based violence are unemployed women who cannot denounce such abuses because of too much economic dependence. I call upon all stakeholders to be dedicated to the promotion and improvement of the socio-economic welfare of women in Rwanda, through enhancing their efforts to meet their basic needs’,she added, stressing that gender based violence hinders economic development. Mukayitete, called upon religious leaders to sensitise their followers on the adverse effects of gender- based violence on women and the community. According to Claudine Uwase, one of the participants, anti- GBV clubs at cell and village levels will create platforms for people to discuss and share information on the dangers of GBV and work together to fight it. Ends
