English
Kinyarwanda
Gatsibo district, yesterday, marked the ‘International Day of Girl Child’ with a call for Rwandans to stand up against sexual, hard labour and other crimes perpetuated against young girls.
The annual event is normally marked on October 11 and this year’s exercise was held under the theme “Let us fight girl sex abuse.”
Jeanne Kanakuze, the President of PROFEMMES TWESE HAMWE, noted that girls still encounter domestic violence and sexual abuse, which at times are not reported by parents and neighbours.
Kanakuze, who is also the president of COCAFEM/GL (Collectif des Associations Feminines de la Region des Grands Lacs called for concerted efforts to combat such challenges girls face.
She, however, commended the Rwanda National Police for its programmes geared towards fighting child abuse such as the establishment of the Anti Gender-Based Violence and Child Protection Unit and periodic awareness campaigns against the vice.
She further appealed to Non-Governmental Organizations to also engage in programmes that fight for the rights of women and girl child in particular and appealed to everyone to stand up against the global increasing threat of human trafficking.
"Some people are still held back by the tradition and hardly report when their children are sexually harassed. This is a backward tradition we should get rid of and break silence on any crime committed,” Ambroise Ruboneza, the district mayor, said.
Supt. Gerard Habiyambere, the District Police Commander (DPC) blamed such crimes to drug abuse and urged the general public to report drug dealers so that they are arrested.
