Rwanda: First Lady calls for tangible measures to stop Child Sexual Abuse
Rwanda’s First Lady Jeannette Kagame has called for tangible measures to end the crimes of child sexual abuse as she launches a joint campaign against child sexual abuse, which coincided with the International Day of the girl child on October 12, 2020.
The call is made during the time when the number of sexually abused girls every year is on the rise, with more than 19,500 teenage pregnancies last year, according to the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF).
Jeannette Kagame says it is disgraceful that up to 20.5% pregnant teenagers are under the age of 11.
She requested Rwandans to take part in solving this problem
Jeannette Kagame said, “There are many people who hide this crime, … we wonder where we are heading to? And this is not the case for Rwanda alone! “
She said that the issue may be also worsened by lack knowledge exchange on reproductive health between parents and their children.
First Lady also tasked the lawmakers to examine if the crime of child sexual abuse can be included in imprescriptible offenses.
Isabelle Kalihangabo, Deputy Secretary General of the Rwanda Investigation Bureau, says that among the obstacles to the prevention of child abuse are children and families who don’t divulge the offenders while others keep secret the crime for a variety of reasons, including that the child is sexually abused by a relative, or a person who intimidate the victim and the victim’s family and many other obstacles.
