The Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Valentine Uwamariya has urged researchers to listen to the perspectives and innovations of young voices, to address the challenges related to mental health and family strengthening.

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She was speaking during the Regional Research Symposium organised by the University of Rwanda in partnership with Boston College, on September 20, under the theme "Advancing evidence-based interventions for mental health, child development, and parenting.”

The symposium included participants from Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Botswana, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Zambia, among others.

Uwamariya said the challenges related to mental health and family strengthening are not confined within borders and highlighted the need for researchers to actively engage in regional and international collaboration, sharing knowledge and best practices to create a better world for children.

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The minister further challenged researchers to find out how families can be equipped with knowledge and skills to confront contemporary challenges and reduce intimate partner violence through family-strengthening programmes.

Moreover, she urged them to carry out studies on ensuring a safe environment for all family members and protecting children&039;s mental health from the impact of rapidly advancing technology without hindering their educational progress.

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The recently launched National Child Protection Management Framework seeks to guide the development and implementation of a digitised child protection case management framework that fits within the institutional setups, local governance, administrative, and coordination structures.

According to Uwamariya, the goal is to ensure that every child is encountered and followed up, even when abuse happens.

"This approach of positive parenting recognises mental health and child development as fundamental pillars of our society's strength. By investing in programmes and research that seek to strengthen the interventions, we are ensuring that individuals and families receive the support they need. This makes it possible to reduce the long-term social and economic costs to our families and the country,” she said.

One of the evidence-based interventions highlighted during the symposium is Sugira Muryango, a family-strengthening intervention that employs a home visiting and active coaching model to build parent capabilities, and increase responsive parenting of both male and female caregivers to promote early childhood development and prevent violence in families.

Prof Vincent Sezibera, Director of Centre for Mental Health at the University of Rwanda who is one of the researchers for Sugira Muryango in Rwanda, highlighted that the research has been centred around educating families on child development, encompassing both nurturing good values and nutrition.

He highlighted the importance of their work in addressing various challenges that have come to light during their studies, one of which is a lack of awareness among parents regarding the potential consequences for a child's well-being.

"In some instances, we observed parents frequently resorting to insults as a means to toughen up their children, mistakenly believing it would foster strength. However, this approach can be detrimental, causing harm to a child's mental health, resulting in reduced self-confidence, heightened anxiety, and the development of depressive behaviours," he said.

Sezibera also noted that some fathers were unaware of their role in caring for their children, but once they were educated on their responsibilities and began engaging actively with their children, it led to positive changes in their offspring's attitudes.

He said that children started attending school with more enthusiasm, underscoring the research's finding that a child's readiness for school and their academic performance are directly linked to their family environment.

Another critical finding from the research was the prevalence of conflicts between parents.

Sezibera highlighted the importance of initiating open and constructive dialogues within families to address the issue, explaining that fostering communication within families is pivotal to changing parents' mind-sets and improving their child-rearing practices.

Ilaria Buscaglia, Head of Programme at RWAMREC, emphasised the need for more dialogue and collaboration to enhance evidence-based decision-making in Rwanda.

She highlighted the significance of filling existing spaces with evidence and suggested that the government should have individuals who appreciate and value research, including both quantitative and qualitative data, especially in matters of gender transformation and family strengthening.

Buscaglia further stressed the importance of flexibility among practitioners and researchers, urging them to align their efforts with government priorities.