Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, October 26, Rwanda will host the International Conference on the Role of Security Forces in Ending Gender Based Violence (GBV) against Women. The conference, that brings together policy makers, police and army officers from more than 20 African countries, is in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 1325/2000, that aims at protecting women and girls during and after armed conflicts and to fully involve women in conflict prevention, management and resolution, peace building and reconciliation. It is Rwanda’s remarkable record in empowering women and the concerted efforts in fighting GBV that made the country ideal host to this conference. Over the last sixteen years, the government has set up policies that have enabled women play an integral in the reconciliation and development path of the country. The fact that they are key decision makers at all levels of government, has further given them confidence in life and earned more respect and dignity not only from the society, but from their own families. GBV has always been an obstacle to women’s empowerment, and to realize the full potential of women, it is imperative that this is done away with. The government, Police, media, civil society organizations and Parliamentarians have done a great job at fighting GBV. However, there is a lot more to get done, especially in the field of awareness. The general public needs to understand that once we get rid GBV and give women the opportunity to realize their full potential, we will not only accelerate the country’s developmental targets but also ensure that the current progress is sustained. Ends
