Rwanda National Police

Ninety medical workers, on Friday, completed a five-day training on gender based violence response, organized as part of the mechanisms to effectively combat the vice in the country.

 The training conducted separately at the National Police College (NPC) in Musanze District, and at the Police Training School (PTS) Gashari, Rwamagana District was organized and conducted by Rwanda National Police and the Ministry of Health.

It is first of the two training phases to be conducted under the Isange One Stop Centre scale-up programme that intends to improve their medico-legal reporting, medical and psycho-socio management of victims of gender based violence and getting a general understanding of the kinds of GBV and their consequences to the victims, their families and the nation in general.

Other participants include nurses and judicial police officers.

A total of 180 medical workers that include doctors, police officers working in different hospitals, psychologists and social workers, will benefit from this training programme.

The second batch will begin the same training on 16 Nov 2915. 

Speaking at the official closing of the training at PTS, Dr. Yvonne Kayitashonga, the head of Mental Health division at Rwanda Biomedical Centre, lauded the RNP initiatives like medical, legal and awareness, to address the issue of gender based violence in the country.

“Gender based violence creates consequences like stigma, which are invisible wounds than man try hard to live with. Physical wounds can be treated in shortest days possible but invisible wounds are lifetime which leaves victims in personal isolation which can as well lead to suicide if there are no solid mechanisms to prevent such human rights abuses,” Dr. Kayitashonga said.

She challenged participants to always take their time to listen to the victims and provide sufficient evidence that would otherwise aid fair justice.

She further called upon Rwandans to break silence about GBV offences, which she said will help in effective response.

In Musanze, Commissioner of Police (CP) Cyprien Gatete,  said that the training was "long overdue and wanting", and urged beneficiaries to use the acquired skills to the benefit of the victims.

Dr. Letitia Twizerimana of Ruhengeri hospital, one of the participants, most of the challenges they encounter is ignorance of family members of the victims.

Using an example of defilement, she noted that most traces of evidence are erased when a victim takes bath and this in some cases tampers with evidence that would otherwise be used against the suspect.

The scale up programme of Isange was launched last year by the First lady, Jeannette Kagame, and the centre, which provides free medical, psycho-socio and legal services to victims of GBV and child abuse, has since been extended to 17 hospitals across the country.

According to Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Shafiga Murebwayire, the director of maiden Isange One Stop Centre situated at Kacyiru Police Hospital, the centre receives at least ten victims of GBV on a daily basis.

Since its establishment in 2009, the Kacyiru centre has received over 10, 000 victims.