IBUKA wants role in Genocide survivors’ census

KIGALI - Following parliamentary instructions to government to come up with an official figure of survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, IBUKA, has expressed willingness to carry out the census. During a recent retreat, lawmakers expressed concern over lack of specific figures of survivors and ordered government to come up with the exact figures in a period not more than six months. “IBUKA is interested in conducting the census since we can easily trace survivors wherever they are,” Theodore Simburudari president of IBUKA said. “It requires a lot of money which survivors don’t have; in this context, we would request the government to avail us with the funds to carry out the census,” said Simburudari. This is not the first time the issue of statistics is coming up. Two years ago, IBUKA had sent a proposal to the Ministry of Local government seeking to conduct the census. “We had proposed to spend about Rwf400m on the survey, but the ministry rejected it saying that it was a lot of money; the tender was later given to the Rwanda National Institute of Statistics which spent over Rwf600m. The results were highly contested and proved to be false and have never been referred to ever since.” Statistics from Survivors Fund Rwanda (SURF) indicates that there are between 300,000 to 400,000 survivors of the Genocide and that between 250,000 and 500,000 women were raped during the 100 days of Genocide.Up to 20,000 children were born to women as a result of rape. SURF also indicates on its website that more than 67 percent of women who were raped in the Genocide were infected with HIV/ AIDS and that there are almost 50,000 widows of the genocide. It also indicates that 7 in 10 survivors earn a monthly income of less than Rwf 5000. Ends