Author: Publisher

{{Child abuse remains one of the crimes committed in Rwanda in different forms, though at a low rate. It is a crime that requires collective responsibility to fight.}}

Major Child abuse related cases registered in Rwanda include defilement, abortion, child labour, infanticide and assault.

Child abuse can occur in homes, communities, organizations and schools.

Violation of child right can be both physical and psychological.

“A child has right to birth, recognising own parents, food, education, and health care,” Senior Superintendent (SSP), Rose Musoni, the Director for Anti GBV and Child Abuse in Rwanda National Police, said.

“The consequences of anyone caught abusing the rights of children are severe and those involved stand to be warned,” SSP Musoni cautioned.

“The act of reporting cases of child abuse like defilement, abortion, child labour and corporal punishment should be everyone’s responsibility and a norm among Rwandans t to bring to justice the offenders and protect children.”

Rwanda is one of the first countries in the world that ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to ensure that children acquire basic needs and protected from violence, abuse and exploitation.

In line with this strategy to ensure that children reach their full potential, and to initiate practical measure to protect children, Rwanda National Police established the Directorate of ‘Anti Gender-Based Violence and Child Abuse.’

The force also established Isange One Stop Centre, a medical facility to offer free-medical, psychological and legal services to GBV victims, as one of the ways to fight the vice and assist the victims.

She explained that they conduct periodic awareness in communities, radios, schools and hold meetings with parents on children rights, which has contributed to the “tremendous decrease.”

The public can also report cases of child abuse and gender violence by calling the Rwanda National Police hotlines; 3512 and 116.

SSP Musoni also appealed to the public to report such cases to the nearest Police Station to help victims in time, especially to get medical results and to prevent them from being infected with incurable diseases like HIV/AIDS.

RNP

{{The European Commission will provide €5 million in new funding to accelerate the use of renewable energy in Africa.}}

The funding is aimed at helping the continent meet future energy needs and increase access to modern and sustainable energy services.

The support is part of the Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme.

The Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme was launched in September 2010 in Vienna as an integral part of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership (AEEP).

The funding was officially announced at the Second High Level Meeting of the AEEP, which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, between February 11 and 13 this year.

Sub Saharan Africa has the lowest electrification rate in the world, and more than 650 million people rely on traditional biomass for heating and cooking.

This is why the EU has set itself the goal to help developing countries provide 500 million people with access to sustainable energy services by 2030, as part of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative (SE4ALL) led by the UN.

EU Commissioner for Development , Andris Piebalgs, notes in a press release that, “energy is fundamental to development. No energy means no sustainable economic growth, no sustainable agriculture, no quality healthcare; no decent education. In short, no energy means no development.”

{myjoyonline}

{{Police heads in Africa have established a new mechanism – the African Police Cooperation Organisation (AFRIPOL) to fight crime on the continent; This was the idea initiated by Rwanda.}}

The officers made the resolution at a meeting in Algiers, Algeria on February 10-11. The new body will be based in Algiers.

The move follows what the police officers described as “common challenges” faced by individual countries in dealing with terrorism, organised trans-national crime such as drug trafficking, cybercrime, counterfeit medicines, environmental crimes as well as serious disturbances of public order and social peace.

The officers expressed concern about growing alliances by criminal organisations, the complexity of their actions and methods of operation, which have gradually broadened their scope of activity at continental and international levels and taken advantage of difficult socio-economic conditions of the population and the vulnerability of borders to carry out criminal activities.

AFRIPOL intends to promote co-ordination at strategic, operational, and tactical levels through the assessment of threats, analysis of criminal intelligence, planning, and implementation of actions.

“…effective response to various forms of crime on the African continent requires the harmonisation of police methods, the exchange and extension of best practices in terms of training, prevention, investigative techniques, and expertise, as well as the strengthening of African police capabilities,” the officers said.

The officers asked the African Union Commission to submit a report on the establishment of AFRIPOL to the next AU summit of Heads of State and Government scheduled for June in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, and proceed to operationalise it.

They further agreed to request the AU Commission to facilitate the effective setting up of an ad hoc committee, co-chaired by Algeria and Uganda, to draft statutes of AFRIPOL and legal texts governing its organisation, operation, and funding.

The conference was attended by police heads from Rwanda, Algeria, Angola, Congo, Cote d’ Ivoire, DR Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Sahrawi Republic, Somalia, Seychelles, Sierra-leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

RNP

{{The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU) and Head of the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic (MISCA), General Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko, AU Peace and Security Department Director Mr. Elghassim Wane accompanied by MISCA Force Commander, Brig. Gen Martin Tumante met with Rwandan Peacekeepers in Central African Republic on 13 February 2014.}}

After touring the new RwaMechbatt1 camp, the AU Peace and Security Department Director Mr. Elghassim Wane urged Rwandan Peacekeepers to share good practices, professionalism and discipline to their colleagues in MISCA.

“When going on duty, other Forces can send some elements like two in every contingent, you operate together so that they can learn from you and transfer later the knowledge gained to their colleagues”, urged the AU Peace and Security Department Director.

The Guests were amazed on how Rwandan Peacekeepers are organised with professional military equipment as well as those designed for the well being of the Peacekeepers.

The AU Officials received by Rwandan Contingent Commander in MISCA, Lt Col Jean Paul Karangwa continued with visiting other contingents’ camps.

MOD

{{Rwanda’s Ministry of Youth and ICT, UNDP in collaboration with Motorola Solutions will power a Mobile App Challenge that will be implemented by YouthConnekt. }}

The challenge aims at promoting job creation and youth empowerment utilizing mobile technologies.

Recognizing the catalytic natures of mobile technologies in fostering Human Development, UNDP and Motorola have entered into a partnership to address some of these challenges and further stimulate the diffusion of mobile initiatives on a larger scale.

In Rwanda, there are many social innovators already pioneering mobile solutions for human development. Local social innovators are taking advantage of the lower entry barriers for app development.

Solutions in the areas of Human Development –Education, Governance, Health, Agriculture and Gender. The Challenge is expected to help entrepreneurs grow businesses – efficiently and effectively.

Providing the winners with seed funding for their successful proposals, we help them to scale and grow successful, sustainable businesses and in turn create jobs for young people and stimulate the local economy.

Cash prizes range from USD 1,000 – USD 6,000. In addition to the cash prize, the first winner will receive business training and mentoring by successful entrepreneurs throughout the initial phase of their start-up.

The challenge is for young people between 18 and 35 years of age. All applications should be made via the online application. Deadline for proposals is the 25th of February, 2014.

While launching the challenges, the Rwanda’s Minister of Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana noted that “We are going to have a challenge to really test your abilities to be able to transform the skills that you have in terms of mobile programming but also our understanding of the development and how we can merge the two, and be able to solve the real life challenges.

He added that we all agreed that mobile applications hold a very great promise not only for our social economic development but also for job creation for individual developers.

YouthConnekt was initiated by the Ministry of Youth and ICT (MYICT) in 2012 as a platform to connect young Rwandans and increase their participation in the country’s socio-economic transformation.

The initiative has since spun off a number of well-established programs such the YouthConnekt Dialogue and YouthConnekt Awards.

YouthConnekt Hangout brings together various partners including UNDP, ADMA, Tigo Rwanda, Zilencio Creativo, BSC Ltd and HeHe Ltd to create a platform for youth, government, development partners, private sector and civil society to connect youth to opportunities for their personal and socio-economic development.

Serge Kapto, ICT for Development Advisor at UNDP Headquarters in New York highlights the contribution of ICT to human development; he noted that “UNDP has been working on this since early 90’s to look for potential of ICT to contribute to meeting the needs of people living in poverty… We see ICT as both as an enabler for human development and a means for local capacity…”

The challenge has the unique aim of encouraging youth participation in innovation and apps development through entrepreneurship promotion by coming up with Mobiles

The Hangout is an online debate happening live after two weeks, through the initiative young people across the country and abroad share their views, and are able to ask questions to the officials in order to find solutions against challenges that the country face in line with development goals.

YouthConnekt Hangout won the first prize at the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa’s innovation fair in the beginning of December last year in South Africa.

The platform use Google hangout technology in combination with other social media channels and SMS to connect young people to role models, resources, skills, and entrepreneurship and employment opportunities.

The next YouthConnekt Hangout will happen on Tuesday, March 4th, 2014 from 4:00PM. It will be an occasion of the competition to generate mobile application technologies to be used by the community.

Access the Application form here: http://goo.gl/Ngnbb8