Foreign women investors attending the 14th international Rwanda trade show are angered by the manner with which they are handled at Police checkpoints at Expo grounds which they say amounts to sexual harassment.
However, Police spokesperson, Supt. Theos Badege said: “There is no way to avoid it because when a metal detector makes an alarm while checking a person in some parts of the body, they end up using hands to conduct a thorough search, and this is widely professional for security purposes.”
Exclusively speaking to igihe.com, over 10 foreign females exhibiting their products at Expo grounds raised the same issue saying it is unprofessional and sexually abusive.
An Exhibitor from Kenya who never wanted her names to be published in media noted, “Am really frustrated by the way the police corps are treating us at the entrance.
“How can a young female constable who is supposed to be my granddaughter start touching me all the body including my breasts and private parts? “Is that professional way of checking people? She wondered.
She said, “I like security in Rwanda because it is the first I think in the region, but they should also organize and bring metal detectives and scanners to do it in a professional way because some of us who are coming from different cultures take it as sexual harassment”.
Joyce Waboyi also an exhibitor said, “We want to establish business in Rwanda and open offices in Kigali but I will first find out if this is the way of checking people even elsewhere.
“The way it’s done here is abusive and discourages me because I can’t stand it according to my culture.
A male exhibitor preferring anonymity for personal safety said ,“Rwanda is a country internationally respected and putting up other measures for detectives like detective gadgets and scanners is possible but I don’t know why the equipment are not brought to an international Trade Fair like here.”
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