English
Kinyarwanda
Police in Karongi District held a meeting with over 90 heads of 'evening of parents' commonly known as Umugoroba w'ababyeyi in Bwishyura Sector, which focused mainly on addressing Gender Based Violence (GBV) and family conflicts.
They discussed on how the social cohesion that brings together parents and leaders at the village level at least one a week, can be strengthened to bring harmony in communities.
The meeting was also attended by officials from Rwanda Men’s Resource Centre (RWAMREC).
RWAMREC is an organization operating in Rwanda, with an ideal objective to reach out to men in order to promote Gender Equality through promotion of positive masculinity and male engagement approaches in development programs in the country.
While speaking during the meeting, Assistant Inspector of Police (AIP) Aimable Rutayisire, the District Community Liaison Officer (DCLO) of Karongi lauded the role residents play in anti-crime awareness and crime prevention.
He noted that Umugoroba w'ababyeyi serves as a good platform and urged them to utilise it draw joint strategies to prevent GBV and family conflicts.
“Such misunderstandings, when they there are no preventive measures taken they escalate into violent acts anf possibly killings. It, therefore, requires that we identify families or individuals experiencing conflicts and use such evening platforms to address them or inform police and local leaders.”
While emphasizing the need for residents to share information sharing on security matters in real time, Rutayisire noted that communities could become crime free when everyone realizes his or her role in security issues, and consequently stand up to report anything illegal or criminal.
He also added the issue of narcotic drugs should be given due attention.
Participants vowed to do more to ensure that conflicting couples or families are identified and to use umugoroba w'ababyeyi to counsel and reunite them, and to work with the police against drug dealers and abusers.
