Ten years after genocide 1994-2004

A study published by John Mutamba, MBA and Jeanne Izabiliza, MA in May 2005 defines the role women can play in the rebuilding of Rwanda and the challenges they face.

Excerpts from the study are included below. View the full document here.

PART ONE: STUDY CONTEXT

1. Background

Rwanda ranks among the 9 poorest countries in the world. It is a landlocked country, located at some 2,000 km from the Atlantic Ocean and at about 1,200 km from the Indian Ocean. Its surface is 26,338 sq. km of which 11% are covered with lakes and marshes, 6% with natural forests. The population is 8,128,553 inhabitants of whom 52.3% are women and 34% of the households are headed by women and the annual growth rate is 2.9%. The average population density is about 400 inhabitants per km.

Rwanda is a republic that is governed under a multiparty presidential system in the year 2000 the Gross Domestic Product per capita (GDP) was estimated at US $ 237 (about Rwf 123,240) per capita.1 In Rwanda, more than 60% of the population live below the poverty line.

Prior to the coming of colonialists and white missionaries towards the end of the 19th century, the Rwandan society was organized as a monarchy ruled by a supreme king or Umwami and the society had its own institutions and culture which united people of different social categories, Hutu, Tutsi and Twa to live in harmony.

The king who was identified as the cordon of cohesion performed the social functions and was considered as Umwami wa rubanda meaning the “King of the people”. The monarch was considered as the owner of all lands, cows, supreme chief of armies, the king stood as guarantor for land fertility. The monarch emerged from a consensus between the different social groups. He was above the social groups because he represented the nation in which all Rwandans recognised themselves.

“Umwami nta bwoko yagiraga, yari Umwami wa Rubanda rwose” meaning the king did not belong to any distinct social group, he was a king of all Banyarwanda”. They had one common language Kinyarwanda, one culture with values that promoted harmony, stability and peace. This is illustrated by the fact that there is no history of killings and genocide between the social groups of Banyarwanda.

Values such as patriotism, integrity, heroism, excellence, protection of those in need and who seek protection from imminent danger, preservation of life and certain taboos like killing children and women were inscribed in the Rwandan culture. All these cultural values were eroded with the advent of western culture, colonial

rule and the policies of post independence regimes.

The revolution of 1959 and the subsequent violence resulting in the killings of Batutsi and forcing thousands of others into exile set a precedent for eventual conflicts. When Rwanda got her independence in 1962, it was a country that was characterised by deep divisions as a result of the Belgian colonial legacy of divide and rule and marginalizing women in the social, economic and political fields. Girls’

education was introduced 40 years later, cash crops production was in the hands of men, formal and salaried employment was almost exclusively for men and the obligation of paying taxes laid squarely on men. These examples deepened further the marginalization of women’s status in terms of power structure, where women’s subordination became more institutionalized.

The post independence regimes pursued policies of discrimination in the context of the system of registration of persons in terms of ethnicity. Civic education and the education system, and employment denied the right of access or lack of it to some members of the Rwandan community and this deepened further the problems related to discrimination. This further deepened the cleavages and divisions that created the conditions for the genocide to be executed. Furthermore, since the beginning of the post– independence era in Rwanda, violence quickly became the backdrop for the country’s social and political life. The advent of a single party system reinforced this culture of violence. The institutionalization of a single party system of governance reinforced the culture of violence and impunity. Throughout this period, women’s role remained marginal and insignificant thus their diminishing role in the promotion of

peace.

In order to have a clear and realistic insight into the role of women in Rwanda have played in the peace building efforts, it is useful to look at the events of 1994 genocide and their aftermath. The war and genocide affected men and women differently. It is estimated that more than 250,000 Rwandan women and girls were victims of some form of sexual violence. Most of the people who died, who never returned to Rwanda after fleeing, or who were imprisoned on charges of genocide were men. Thus,

many war widows and other single women survived to care for families alone, to take in orphans, and to assume duties traditionally carried out in patriarchal Rwanda by men.

The 1994 genocide and events after have had tremendous effects whose ramifications are felt in the country and outside its borders. Another important milestone of the government of Rwanda is the promotion of gender equality and

women’s empowerment as a prerequisite for sustainable peace and development. This is echoed in the words of President Paul Kagame while officially opening a gender –training workshop for Parliamentarians in 1999.

“The abrupt shift to monetary economy, formal education and modern technology played a key role in restructuring gender relations to the disadvantage of women. These imbalances are not only an obstacle to the country’s development but constitute a form of social injustice. It is imperative to our lawmakers, policy makers and implementers to have an objective and correct analysis of the gender question in order to design appropriate corrective policies and programmes. The question of gender equality in our society needs a clear and critical evaluation in order to come up with concrete strategies to map the future development in which men and

women are true partners and beneficiaries. My understanding of gender is that it is an issue of good governance, good economic management and respect of human rights”

The uniqueness of the Rwandan genocide unlike the genocides of Jews or Armenians was planned and executed by the Rwandan people against their fellow citizens, the main actors being the political, military and religious elite. Traditionally women as a social category generally did not go into active service in war

nor did they participate in any form of war instead they were the most credible agents of peace, supporters and nurturers of life. In the Rwandan genocide, some women played an active role in planning and executing the genocide and as a result, some children got involved in the killing of fellow children, raping women, women killing their own children and husbands, men killing their own and children and relatives. Literature on conflict in other countries shows that during and immediately after

the conflict there is an expansion of women’s roles in the public arena that is often followed by a decrease in women’s opportunities and a retraction of women’s space for public action in the post conflict stages of reconstruction. However, in the case of Rwanda, women’s participation in the public space has actually expanded in the last ten years. This grim picture of the country’s situation in 1994 is vividly articulated in the speech by President Paul Kagame at the Commonwealth Club, San Francisco on March 7, 2003.

“Most survivors of the genocide in Rwanda had not one but two brushes with death and most saw first-degree relatives killed and many sustained dreadful wounds themselves. When the Government of National Unity took over in 1994, Rwanda was in utter anarchy. There was total displacement of the population. Over 3 million people had sought refugee in neighbouring countries, and many more were internally displaced. There were countless numbers of orphans, widows and widowers, thousands of handicapped people and generally a very vulnerable population. A cloud of insecurity loomed over Rwanda, as the former soldiers and the militia reorganised themselves, intent on continuing their genocidal campaign with the support of the then Zaire, now Democratic Republic of Congo.

Law and order had completely broken down. Large-scale atrocities were still going on in parts of the country. All national law enforcement agencies and judicial institutions had ceased to exist and the system of administration of justice had come to a complete standstill. Social and economic infrastructure was in a state of collapse. Neither schools nor hospitals were functioning. The civil service had been decimated or its membership had fled into exile. Genocide and its aftermath in our country demand an understanding of the context as well as the facts that have shaped our society in a long history that spans centuries”.

The nature and mode of execution of the 1994 genocide left the Rwandan cultural and moral fabric torn into shambles. Values and taboos that were held sacrosanct in the Rwandan society were defiled and trampled upon by those who were supposed to protect them. In a country where 90% are Christians and the church not only exerts a spiritual influence on the majority of the population like nowhere else and it

also constitutes an indisputable socio-economic force. Here lies the big challenge of reconstructing peace and reconciliation in the Rwandan context and calls for unique solutions.

The 1994 genocide that claimed more than one million innocent lives and destroyed the country’s socioeconomic and political infrastructure had some unique features which among other things make the process of healing the country extremely difficult. The speed and ferocity with which the genocide was executed left the country almost entirely destroyed. With over a million people dead and unburied, and close to three million people driven into exile, the economy in shambles and no functioning state

institutions, it left hundreds of thousands of orphans and widows, and 150,000 suspects of genocide awaiting trials. The population was highly traumatized and deeply divided where hatred and mistrust reigned high. “The war and genocide shattered the dense local friendship networking and community solidarity that had traditionally existed……former solace and support for women and neighbours and

former friends turned into enemies”.

The 1994 genocide had terrible consequences on the people of Rwanda and the society as a whole. Besides the loss of one million people in a period of three months, a destroyed economy, millions fleeing into exile with many of them being taken as hostages by the ex-FAR (former Rwandan government forces) and the Interahamwe (militia who participated in the genocide), and over 120,000 persons

detained in jails with very poor legal infrastructure and limited human resources, the Rwandan genocide shattered the dense local friendship networks and community solidarity that had traditionally provided solace and support for women. Particularly dispensing speedy and fair trials to the thousands of suspects of 1994 genocide and rendering justice to the families of survivors will contribute to break the culture of impunity.

There are thousands of women who are victims of rape, trauma, physical injuries, and above all social trust has dissolved. Abject poverty is still high and it is affecting mainly women from the rural areas. High rates of HIV/Aids where more than 250,000 women were raped, sixty six percent of women who were raped tested positive and other infectious diseases coupled with limited health facilities remain high. This situation had an impact not only on the mental health of women but also their physical well-being. Most of the survivors of the genocide the majority of who happen to be women experience serious economic deprivation. The level of mistrust among the families of those who survived the genocide and those whose relatives are suspected to have committed genocide is still high and deep rooted.

Women in decision-making

Historically, women’s participation in politics and decision-making in Rwanda has been insignificant, specifically in high echelons although in the pre-colonial period, women in Rwanda played an important role in the country’s governance through the institution of the queen mother.

After the destructive genocide of 1994, there was a great need to mobilize and guide the population to reconstruct its own lives as well as their communities and country. Rwandese women in different positions of leadership played critical roles in mobilizing fellow women to live together and to find common solutions to their own problems and those of their country. Examples of Unity club, forum of Rwandan Women Parliamentarians.

The Government of Rwanda demonstrated its will to give women the trust and responsibility of rebuilding the nation by appointing them to all positions of leadership and responsibility in society. For example, women are serving in the executive, legislative and judiciary arms of the government.

● In the last ten years women have stood as exemplary leaders at policy level as well as community level. The mere presence of women in cabinet, parliament, judiciary, and all spheres of life served as role models and also helped to develop confidence among women and this opened up women’s role in decision making.

● Women worked together to forge solidarity, and unity among themselves as the first step forward mobilization of other women for example the Unity Club as a forum of top women leaders and spouses of top leaders in government aimed at creating unity among themselves; and then be able to preach the message of unity and reconciliation among the communities.

● They conducted concrete activities such as helping orphans, fostering them, supporting victims of famine and flood and always championing unity as their goal.

The forum of Rwandese women leaders’ caucus also started as a caucus that brings women from different backgrounds together. They were able to lobby together and influence enacting of laws that protect and promote the rights of women. For example the inheritance law, the law on the rights of the child, the rights of women at the place of work, etc.

Besides, the caucus of women parliamentarians were able to advocate for women rights and gender equality and also mobilized grassroots women to contribute to the making of the constitution so that the issues of gender equality takes centre stage and at the same time monitor the budget and ensure that the budget addresses the needs of women and men.

● Women leadership was demonstrated by the setting up women structures, which came to be known as National women councils. National women councils provided platform to enable women gain visibility and be able to contribute to national debate and influence policy development and democratic processes of the country. For example mobilize fellow women to participate in Gacaca courts, decentralisation, poverty reduction processes, fighting HIV/AIDS pandemic and dealing with the consequences of the 1994 genocide.

Research shows that women can influence peace and reconciliation if they are empowered to participate and taking major decisions at community, local, national and international levels. The government of Rwanda has in the last ten years put in place several measures to ensure that women are given to fully participate in decision making in different organs.

The government has put in place a legal framework facilitating national women councils to provide a forum through which women exchange views on national issues and the overall development of the country. Through these councils, women have been able to make input into national policies and programmes. These include Vision 2020, PRSP, the decentralization policy, the national Land Bill, the land policy, the Succession law, the traditional participatory system of justice (Gacaca courts) and many other areas of critical importance to peace building including the new constitution.

● It is worth noting that the decentralization favours the representation of women at the various administrative levels: a department in charge of gender issues has been set up at the district and provincial level; likewise, women’s representatives become automatic members of the consultative committees at the level of the secteur and cellule.

● The Constitution of Rwanda stipulates a minimum representation of women at decision-making bodies of at least 30%;

● Sensitisation campaigns have been organized to encourage the high participation of women in decision making bodies;

● Private universities offer evening classes attended by a significant number of women, thereby enabling them to acquire the training that will enable them to compete for decision-making posts;

● An association for the promotion of the Rwandan women participation in decision-making organs, the Rwanda Women Leaders Caucus was created in July 2002.13

It is worth noting that the President of the Supreme Court of Rwanda is a woman and the minister of justice is also a woman, as well as the executive secretary of the Gacaca courts. Of the 12 judges in the Supreme Court, 5 are women or a representation of 41.7%. Further, at the local administration level, under the decentralization arrangement, women occupy 26% of the posts on the executive councils of each province.

Although tangible improvements in terms of women empowerment have been registered since 1994, their participation in the various domains of national development is still low. Challenges remain in the areas of limited experience and capacity, as well as overcoming the mentality of negative attitude towards women’s role in politics and decision-making. This is further compounded by the gender-based

division of labour where women are still over-burdened with a lot of responsibilities and very high expectations from society.

Why focus on women?

Why women in peace building and reconciliation process?

There are strong reasons why women in Rwanda should be in the peace process:

● The war and genocide had disproportionately strong impact on women, as rape and genocide survivors, widows, and heads of households and care takers of orphans. That is the position of women as victims and participants in the genocide and their unique post conflict needs.

● Their long experiences in their role as peacemakers, women in the family as mothers, wives and sisters where they prefer problem solving through open communication, honest discussions of differences and dialogue among all concerned parties. They are used to resolving disputes through the best means of ensuring that at least some of the concerns of all conflicting parties are met – a win/win situation – a family model which seeks fairness and reconciliation rather than victory and retribution.

Further, as bearers of life, women can offer a special perspective and experience which will help to overcome prevailing life-destroying methods of dealing with human problems and conflicts. Since military conflicts and diplomacy, which have traditionally been exclusively orchestrated by men, have failed to be

a reliable system to safeguard peace, the inclusion of women in all stages of the peace process becomes imperative.

● The Government of Rwanda is strongly committed to the promotion of gender equality in all aspects of national development including the critical area of peace

● and reconciliation “The Rwandan government made women’s inclusion a hallmark of its postgenocide recovery and reconstruction program”

● This assessment of women’s contribution to peace and reconciliation is timely as Rwanda looks forward to the next decade after the genocide. New direction and impetus on the functioning of the National Unity and Reconciliation commission should be equally important is the fact that the international community, countries in the sub region particularly where conflicts are rife or have came out of conflict, this study will provide best practices and models from which to draw lessons.

● The findings from this study will inform policy formulation of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission; so as to ensure a strong focus interventions aimed at strengthening women’s participation and contribution in peace building and reconciliation processes.

● The data from this study will go a long way in increasing the visibility of women’s role in peace building and reconciliation as well as highlighting the key issues affecting women that need stronger advocacy in the future.