Polygamy major cause of ‘Homeless Children’

NORTHERN PROVINCE Polygamy and family related conflicts have been identified as some of the major causes for making children vulnerable and homeless. This was disclosed during a training workshop of police station commanders in all sectors of musanze district on child rights and sexual abuse as reported in rural communities. The work shop which was organized by Strive Foundation Rwanda, an NGO which aims at providing the capacity for local authorities to deal with the complex issues of orphans and vulnerable children(OVCs). The coordinator for this NGO , Bernard Muramira said that community authorities are required to improve lives and livelihoods of those made vulnerable due to HIV pandemics by strengthening decentralized systems of decision making service provision and livelihood enhancement. The officer in charge of family promotion and child protection in Musanze district, Nicolas Murenzi said that a survey carried in 2007 within 9 sectors indicates that the highest number of homeless and vulnerable children come from polygamous families. Strive Foundation Rwanda, as an intervening approach will strengthen community based planning systems and engage in capacity development of local institutions and community based organizations. In the workshop police was tasked to identify the causes of gender based violence and abuse of young children, and outline the gaps which need redress. The District Police Commander, Eugene Mushayija said that the major forms of violence towards children and women are based on sex and property. He added that police is faced with a huge challenge of making sure that children are not stopped from going to school or even subjected to domestic labor. Ends