We then heard from a representative from UNFPA, on behalf of
OneUN, which is a group of UN organisations working here – UNFPA, UNICEF and UN
Women. There is an acute need for a multi-sector
approach, due to the complicated mixture of issues which exist because of the
recent history, combined with the subordinate position of women in society.
Consider this information from the 2010 Demographic Heath
Survey:
·
By the time they are 15, 2/5 of women have experienced
physical violence and 1/5 have experienced sexual violence
·
Almost half of women age 15-49 age have
experienced physical or sexual violence
·
Almost 56% of women believe that their husband
is justified in beating them
·
Most people who seek help are under 18
This country is fascinating.
But let’s think about this. How
much do you know about Rwanda? Most
people associate it with two things.
Gorillas. And genocide. Before you ask, no, I have no plans to go and visit the
gorillas – why would I want to do that? They are unlikely to come and visit me,
so I am not going to visit them. I’m
sure they will cope.
The world hadn’t heard of Rwanda in 1993. It was a tiny, unknown country, somewhere in
Africa. Then in 1994, one million people
died in 10 days. Genocide. You’ve probably seen the film – go and see it
if you haven’t - Hotel Rwanda. The hotel
where that happened is called Hotel Mille Collines, and is near here. We are going to the Genocide Memorial Museum on
Saturday. We have been advised that this
is optional, and we don’t have to go, as
it will be harrowing. To me, it’s
something which should be done. Those
horrific events are Rwanda’s very recent history – this happened less than 20
years ago – probably within your lifetime.
Every person in this country was affected. Humanity can be deadly.
Rape was used as a weapon of war during the genocide, and it
is still used as a weapon of war in conflicts elsewhere in the world today. In a conflict situation, it is more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier.
We spent a session in the afternoon looking at myths and
realities associated with violence against girls. This brought up lots of interesting
discussions. We talked a lot about
self-esteem and self-perception; people taking advantage; consent within a
relationship; the sexualisation of girls in society. We considered media reporting, and the bias
which is prevalent in the reporting of VAWG situations. Often the media blames the victim, considering
the ramifications on the community, rather than the impact on the
individual. We considered language which
is appropriate and not appropriate to use when reporting on situations of
violence. There is no excuse for
violence against women and girls.
Culture cannot be used as an excuse – FGM is abuse.
This was a heavy and complex session. The subject material is difficult and not
nice. But that is why we are here – to
consider all this, and to consider how we can go home and deliver the Voices
Against Violence programme in our MOs. We are the mouthpieces for out MOs and it’s up
to us to take back the learning we are gaining here. It is a privilege to be
having such discussions in such a
vibrant and diverse environment. A lot
of thought is given to the setting. The
facilitators always set a ‘safe space’ at the beginning of the session, so it
is a safe place for discussions, and no obligation to participate.
The next session was on ‘solutions’. We looked at a typical community and the
buildings within it, then considered what ought to be a safe place, and which
places we did not consider to be safe. Each session, we are in mixed groups, always with at least 3 Regions represented. It really is fascinating to hear of the situations in countries very different to the UK.
Solutions have seven points: support, protection. prevention, empowerment, money, data, organisation. This is what will form the action plan for the project which we are going to develop when we return home, in partnership with existing Stop The Violence initiatives which our organisation is engaging with.
We spent the afternoon working our way throught the STV toolkit, looking at all the components which have to be considered when running any STV project.
The subject matter we are dealing with is very serious, there's no other way to describe it. It is so important to roll out this training in the UK, as the stats there are staggering (see my first blog post a few days ago) - even in a relatively developed society, there are widespread misconceptions about VAWG and such a need for it to be less of a taboo subject. The training we are receiving here will equip us to do this, to reach our members who are being, or know people who are being affected by violence. And violence comes in so many forms.
The day ended with our International Evening, where we made a display of resources from our countries, swapped badges, sang songs, some wore national dress. We danced, we sang, we joked, we laughed, we took photos, and we enjoyed spending some time together, just being, having spent an intensive day talking about violence.
It's late now, and we have another intensive day tomorrow - more violence sessions, then a visit to Guides du Rwanda HQ, in Central Kigali.
I am having a very meaningful time here. There is a lot more I could tell you about the various sessions, but I'll leave it there for now and continue tomorrow.
I sat outside for a bit tonight, soaking up the sounds of Africa - tinny music in the bar nearby, chirruping cicadas, buzzing mosquitoes (I'm confusing them with a healthy mixture of Deet and Clinique Happy, both of which I purchased in Wilkinson's in Woolwich, shortly after being mistaken for a member of staff by a hapless shopper last week, as I was in my Guide Leader clothing. To be fair, I was able to direct the customer to the ant powder he required, as I spend a disproportionate amount of time in that shop).
Night all.
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