Rubavu: Gisenyi residents sensitized on fighting child abuse, GBV

The Rwanda National Police (RNP) Mobile Police station van, on June 2, extended its services to the residents of Gisenyi in Rubavu District where police officers engaged the residents in fighting gender based violence and child abuse.

The awareness was derived from the fact that some parents in this area deny their children of their education rights by making them baby-seat their siblings as they go to run the errand.

While speaking to hundreds of residents, Inspector of Police (IP) Christine Mukamazimpaka from the directorate of Anti-Gender Based Violence reminded the residents that such act amount to child abuse.

“Every person aged below 18 years of age is a child and refusing them to go to school for even one day to attend to domestic activities, is denying and abusing their rights,” IP Mukamazimpaka said.

He noted that children also have a right to live, to be registered on birth, to know their parents, education and medical care among others.

“Children should be brought up and taught not to discriminate, to beware of human rights and how to protect them.”

“It is so unfortunate that as a parent and a mother, you can decide not to either breastfeed your baby and even deny them education. Carry on with this campaign to denounce and combat such violations,” she said.

She went on to urge them to desist and fight the common incidences of gender based violence.

“It has been observed that if either a husband or wife fails to fulfill their obligations, it results into domestic disputes where one of them assaults the other and at times breaks the family.”

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Hubert Rutaro talked at length on human trafficking and told them that this is the modern day slavery.

One of the children, aged 10 years, was brave to stand up and told the gathering that her mother refused her to go to school for one day so as to baby-sit her young brother.

The victim, who is in primary two, was at the time carrying her young brother at the back and she said that her mother had gone to the market leaving her at home alone with her young siblings.

One of the parents, Marie Goretti Manishimwe, thanked police for reaching out to them to enlighten them on their rights, but appealed to parents to give parental care and protection to their children while sending children to school.