Gender Based Violence blamed on misconception of equality

CASES of Gender Based Violence in Rwamagana District have been attributed to a misconception of gender equality, a mini-survey conducted by the National Unity and Reconciliation Forum in the district says.The research, conducted in all sectors of the district, found out that women, just like men, were misunderstood the concept of gender equality.The study says some women understood gender balance as taking over what men used to handle in totality.The findings were released during a one-day workshop organised by the forum on conflict prevention in Rwamagana on Monday.Christophe Sentabwira, a member of the forum in Nzige Sector, said that most of the conflicts and violence were based on property inheritance.“We are in a situation we neveranticipated. In rural Rwandan communities, traditional practices are strong. Problems emerge when it comes to management of family fortunes. For example, cases like who should determine sale of land, is it the man or woman? This is where trouble emanates,” he said.Need for awareness Sentabwirwa said there is need for more awareness to avoid conflicts in society. “In a typical Rwandan rural community, a man was regarded as the head of the family and his word was normally final. This is no longer the case, women who were previously regarded only as ‘property’ need to be consulted. Any other alternatives leads to conflicts that usually end up in violence and deaths,” he said.Vedast Utazirubanda, another member of the forum in Rubona Sector, noted that men in rural communities were driven by chauvinism to commit crimes against their spouses. “We found out that couples murder each other without bothering to know the dynamics at hand. But believe it or not, gender equality misconception is behind it. Transformation of the mind is a process, we should thus go slowly,” he said. “Some men cannot understand if they need to agree with women to sell property they believe belongs to them. In most rural communities, men were made to believe they were the sole bread winners, though women worked all the day in gardens. This is a reality but it needs time to adjust the mindset.”Odette Nyirakanyamanza, a resident of Rubona Sector said due to misconception, some women had picked up embarrassing habits like alcoholism in the name of equality.“It is a sad reality that some women, in the name of equality, drink during the day, and become nuisance in public,” he said.Law on women’s rights “In Rwandan tradition, this was unheard of. So, you find women fighting men in bars and homes where they sometimes kill each other. There is need for more awareness on gender equality.”Women’s rights in Rwanda are guaranteed under the Gender-Based Violence law of 2009. The law defines gender-based violence and calls for its prevention through educational campaigns and the legal punishment of perpetrators. Over the years, government has stepped up the fight against GBV. Gender desks have been established in several public institutions. Statistics indicate GBV cases in the country dropped slightly to 3,444 last year, down from 3,585 in 2011.