Say no to Gender Based Violence

Recent Police reports indicate that 1,244 Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases were recorded between January and April this year. Beyond the numbers, though, while not unanticipated, it is important to look at domestic violence beyond its face value.The crime leaves a wake of death and injury, destroys families and traumatises victims, and distressed children who, without early intervention, are more likely to become abusers as adults.This is a crime that negatively affects society and has no limits.Fatefully, victims of domestic violence rarely seek any form of protection from the appropriate authorities as they fear that our justice system would not accept their word as true. They also believe that if they report that they have been abused, the perpetrator of the crime would even the score.Thus, the Isange one-stop centre, an initiative of the national police to offer some kind of support system to victims of domestic violence victims, is an unprecedented move to tackle this unwarranted crime.But recent plans by the United Nations Women and the Ministry of Health plans to establish one-stop centres to combat this crime in every district eases the burden on Isange’s two centres besides spreading services to would-be victims.But as their efforts get to high gear, it is important to echo the importance of supporting a whole range of social and emotional needs in order to help victims to recover besides eradicating the root causes of the crime. One of the most vital means is the need to raise awareness, encouraging the people to not only report incidences of violence, but also use the services offered by the centers.Rwanda has been selected to implement the United Nations Resolution 1325 as a result of the determination to eliminate the crime. This is a huge responsibility and through our best practices, we shall work with other countries to tackle this veiled but degenerative crime globally.

Opinions

Say no to Gender Based Violence