{The Interpol ‘Turn Back Crime’ global campaign was officially launched in Rwanda on November 25 with a call for the general population to take bold steps and cooperate with security organs to prevent crimes.}
Rwanda becomes the third country in Africa to launch the awareness programme which seeks to raise awareness of the nature of organized crimes with the ultimate goal of driving a cross-border response to the issues and support the global police community in making the world a safer place.
The event which coincided with the official launch of the 16 days of activism on ending violence against women and girls, was inaugurated under the theme: “Turn back crime against women and girls”, the synergy of African security organs.”
The exercise which started with a ‘Walk to end Violence against Women and Girls’ also marked the end of the two-day Kigali International Conference Declaration (KICD) Annual General Assembly on the role of security organs in eliminating violence against women and girls, in which participants from 40 African countries took part in the walk.
Speaking at the launch, Alison Bernard, the communication Officer of the international police body, Interpol, noted that crimes including gender based violence can’t be defeated if it is still handled as a private matter.
“We will not defeat the tragedy of gender-based violence that affects each and every one of us, until we succeed in mobilizing the whole of our society to fight it,” Alison noted.
“Prevention is what INTERPOL’s Turn Back Crime is about. It is about enabling everyone to take necessary steps to understand crime and stay safe from crime,” she added.
“This campaign is about empowering each one of you to help prevent crime from happening. This is about you, your family, business and the community in which you thrive. It is about each one of us. It is together that the people of Rwanda can turn back crime,” she observed.
“By working together, we can strike at the crimes themselves and reduce the impact on public health and safety,” she said.
Oda Gasinzigwa, Minister for Gender and Family Promotion commended the role Rwanda security organs play in combating GBV and restoring hope for women and girls.
“We are strongly against Violence against women, girls and all sorts of violence. The government will ensure security that is all needed to fight the vice,” Gasinzigwa said.
“Rwanda is enjoying security and safety today; this should also bound us all to even eliminate challenges women and girls face such as sexual violence,” she added.
Figures from the RNP anti-GBV and child protection directorate indicate that a total of 3,127 cases of defilement were registered between 2012 and 2013. At least 325 cases of rape were also recorded in the same period.
Twenty-five men were also killed by their spouses and 67 women killed by their husbands in the same period.
Between July and August this year alone, 567 cases related to GBV and child abuse were reported across the country, where 12 people were killed and over 60 others seriously assaulted either by their spouses, neighbours or relatives.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Damas Gatare, Commissioner for Community Policing, while reflecting on the global nature of human trafficking, he noted that the modern day slavery is an emerging crime in Rwanda in which most victims are trafficked to Europe, Asia and Malaysia for sexual and exploitative activities.
Latest statistics indicate that at least 80 percent of victims of human trafficking are women and girls while 70 percent of them end up becoming victims of sexual harassment.
He however said that the government has enacted policies and laws, forensic laboratory and a rehabilitation centre as a response to both GBV and trafficking in persons.
Rwanda, in most cases, is used as a transit route for traffickers and Rwanda National Police has since 2009 rescued 153 people including 64 Bangladeshi and other Ugandans who were being trafficked to other countries through Rwanda.
Police spokesperson, Chief Supt. Celestin Twahirwa said the force will take the awareness campaign down to the grassroots level to further sensitize the public on their role in turning back crime and GBV in particular while seeking intervention from Isange one stop centres currently being scaled up to all district hospitals across the country.
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