Gender officials commit to GBV fight

MUHANGA- District Legal Advisors on Gender and Social Welfare have reaffirmed their commitment to curb cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) through educating families and communities. They said that eradicating gender-based violence will lead to communities focusing more on social and economic development The recommendation was made, this Friday, at the conclusion of a three-day training in Family Law that attracted over 40 participants from all 30 districts. The training that took place in Muhanga.was aimed at stimulating community based mechanisms to prevent and respond to various aspects of SGBV. It was sponsored by CARE International and the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion. Jeannette Uwamariya, the representative of CARE International, said it was the second group of district officials to be trained and that the objective was to equip officials with knowledge in Family Law and issues regarding SGBV. “It is important for officials to be acquainted with Family Law so as to come up with mechanisms and community oriented solutions that will enable the fight against gender based violence,” Uwamariya said. The participants said that the training was an awakening call and an opportunity to share various community based initiatives to address issues of gender based violence. “The training has been vital since most of the leaders are just aware of the existence of the law but did not have a detailed explication of what it entails,” said Judith Kayitesi, one of the participants. The group also recommended the need to use community education initiatives and collaboration between key partners so as to break the chain of GBV which was attributed to cultural impediments and silence of victims and the community on such cases. “Silence amongst women is one of the biggest problems that need to be addressed and this requires education and encouraging the victims to speak out,” Aurelia Nyirasikubwabo, said. daniel.sabiiti@newtimes.co.rw