Rwanda commended on GBV fight

GOVERNMENT EFFORTS to fight Gender Based Violence (GBV) have received praise from a team of visiting Liberian politicians and civil servants. The delegation had attended a workshop on gender issues hosted by the Rwanda Men Resource Centre (RWAMREC), a Kigali-based group that advocates for Men’s role in the fight against GBV. “Rwanda has made great strides in as far as curbing GBV is concerned,” said Sarah M. Toe, who is leading the 16-people delegation to assess matters of elections and gender promotion in Rwanda. The official who is also the Co-chairperson for Liberian National Elections Commission regretted that women back in her country still face acute abuse from men. “Unlike Liberia that still experiences rampant abuses against women as a result of the post conflict situation, we are here to pick lessons we shall share back home,” she said. “We strongly believe that holistic economic and social empowerment in Africa can only be fully achieved by eliminating aspects like gender based violence”. “After conducting a series of mentorship programmes, especially in the rural areas where GBV is most common, we noticed that peoples’ attitudes were changing,” said Fidele Rutayisire, RWAMREC’s chairman. He told the Liberian delegation that men in Rwanda no longer perceived their wives’ economic empowerment as a threat. According to a report released by the Rwanda National Police (RNP) early this year, GBV cases went down to 3,444 last year from 3,585 in 2011.