As the government begin a week of fight against Gender Based Violence, it is sad that number of our sisters have been harassed due to their natural alignment.
Even though reports have shown that GBV crimes have reduced tremendously the public seems to see it otherwise and had their appeal to the government to double efforts in fighting these crimes.
Igihe.com reporter Herbert Ndahiro went on the street and the following were the excerpts.
VIEWS ON THE ANTI GENDER BASED VIOLENCE WEEK
Most of the people in Kimironko interviewed had no idea about Gender Based Violence week campaign as noted by Suleman Ndahimana a father of four, working at Kimironko market.
“I personally have no idea on the anti-gender based violence week and neither does my wife nor children. We woke up early morning rushing to work for survival to earn a living. My wife is working with the cleaning company at KIE and she knows nothing too.” Ndahimana says.
Jeanne Mungakuzwe a mother to two children dealing in secondhand clothes in the same market also had no idea of what is going on.
“I really have no idea of the event. How can I know of such details yet I even don’t know what is going on in the country? I listen to news when I hear president Kagame addressing the nation because he encourages me but the rest are more a waste of time,” Mungakuzwe said.
“In addition to that they didn’t tell us. They should advertise and us the media well such events extensively through popular FM radio stations not only radio Rwanda because most of us no longer listen to radio Rwanda.”
In interview with youth taxi drivers and motor cyclists around the Kimironko Park were in the same category of ignorance.
“Please forgive us. We are on the road 24/7 with our heads in these helmets. All we listen to are car horns. How can we know what is going on if they don’t publicize enough,” One Motorcyclist who don’t want to reveal his name said.
“We also have pressure of tough and unfair regulations being imposed on us, we work feeling cheated, we don’t have time to rest and busy for such details,” He added.
“Those are office details and not for us the common men who are toiling our muscles to put food on the table. However, if they (government) could use posters, we could know about it as we could read more of it in the course of our daily business.”
Clementine Mutoni a student said; “I don’t know anyone who has been defiled except that I normally hear on radio that young girls have been defiled by old men and that hurts me. Such men should be punished heavily by government because they are destroying the future generation of Rwanda.”
ON THE ISSUE OF TYPES OF GENDER BASED VIOLENCE
Most of the interviewees had little knowledge on the topic of violence with many defining GBV as simply sexual violence against women.
“Whenever I hear people speak of GBV I simply take to be sexual harassment by men against women and young girls. Men take advantage of our weakness and rape us or defile our young sisters especially in the villages or in homes where bosses use them for money taking advantage of of their innocence and ignorance and have constant sexual intercourse with their house girls and most times leading to unwanted pregnancies. Let me tell you the truth, if I had the powers to punish I would jail those men for life because they are killing us and no serious action is being taken by the government.”Devota Musabyezu a senior six student in her vacation told igihe.com.
Esperance Mushimiyimana a waitress in at Stella Matutina also was ignorant of GBV saying; “I am not aware of any other form of GBV apart from sexual harassment. At our place of work we normally get these male customers who after getting drunk want to have sex with us. They sometimes abuse us with vulgar words calling us prostitutes (Malaya) and that hurts given the fact that we have to do our job to satisfy them”
A neatly dressed looking man who had come for shopping at Ndoli’s supermarket withholding his name said that GBV is all about and rotates around sexual harassment.
“When somebody talks about GBV quickly the minds runs to sexual harassment done to our daughters, mothers, wives and sisters who encounter such malevolence daily as they come from school, shopping, in offices and other places. This is a big problem and I don’t know how the government will fight it because it is hard to fight or deal with somebody’s personality.” He said.
PUBLIC QUEST TO GOVERNMENT ON GBV
Ange Mukandori who was found in Giporoso taxi boarding a SOTRA bus to Kayonza told igihe.com that she wishes that the government can devise an in-depth law governing GBV.
“The government should change the period these men spend in jail because they are criminals anyway. I am not sure with the number of years but we often see men who have been apprehended for GBV set free in a very short time and we don’t know why it looks like the police don’t give it gravity it deserves,” Mukandori said.
On the other side Anastasia Mukimana in Gipoloso Market finds is equally a responsibility for all to fight GBV.
“The government alone cannot fight GBV because it is not everywhere. We the locals know better what happens to us and in our homes. We should be responsible for whatever takes place around us and when it’s beyond our powers inform the police. In that way I feel we will win this battle.”
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