News
18/05/2015
Women in Rwanda – Looking Beyond the Horizon
For the fifth time, Anette Diehl traveled to Rhineland-Palatinate’s partner country Rwanda and as always she combined the private trip with her professional activities as an employee at Frauennotruf Mainz, the specialized center on the topic of sexualized violence in the state capital.
The first trip in 2004 was a voluntary women’s educational trip, organized by the Rhineland-Palatinate Rwanda department in the Interior Ministry. The following private trips were repeatedly used by the specialist to also maintain exchanges on the topic of (sexualized) violence against women on the side.
“There is no specialized center on the topic of sexualized violence for adult women in Rwanda, but there are different offers for violence against women in partnerships or on the topic of sexual abuse. The topic also comes up in different offers,” Diehl summarizes the conversations with colleagues on site. The psychologist Thérèse Uwitonzet from the Mental Health Dignity Foundation in Huye, for example, leads a self-help group for mentally ill people, in which a raped woman can also talk about what happened with others.
Another meeting took place in Kigali in the premises of the HOPE Foundation, a non-governmental organization that among other things also offers services on violence against women in partnerships.
The so-called “key sentences” from their training materials by co-founder Violette Dusabimana make clear: The dark figure for violence against women in Rwanda is immensely high and those affected need support to talk about what they experienced. And further: “Despite the government’s progress in combating violence against women, existing social norms and traditions disadvantage women in the socio-economic area. Furthermore, the considerable stigma and discrimination that accompanies the topics of rape and partnership violence prevents an open debate about violence against women in Rwandan society.”
“These sentences could also be from us and describe the situation in Germany,” knows Heike Simon, voluntary emergency helpline employee and responsible for correspondence with colleagues in Rwanda. “Here too, the topic is still taboo, negated, trivialized. Here too, many women are financially dependent on the perpetrator and fear that blame will be transferred to them.
The women’s emergency helpline has been looking beyond “the German horizon” for years to exchange ideas about problem-solving strategies and action concepts. The contact with the Association Partnership Rhineland-Palatinate-Rwanda with its coordination office in Kigali is very helpful. Here, so-called “grassroots partnerships” are supported on equal terms. Also visits like the one to Antoinette Makuta from the Ineza-Kabaya Center for children with disabilities near Ngororero.
The closest contact that Anette Diehl maintains together with her husband Dr. Christian Lenhart in Rwanda is with the now 26-year-old godchild Fideline. An intensive relationship has developed from the former school sponsorship of the Rwanda department. (Responsible: Anette Diehl)
Frauennotruf Mainz e.V.
Specialized center on the topic of sexualized violence
Coordination center of the State Working Group (LAG)
Kaiserstr.59-61
55116 Mainz
Tel.: 06131 / 22 12 13
www.frauennotruf-mainz.de
Buy and donate:
https://www.boost-project.com/de/shops?charity_id=1026&tag=bb
The first trip in 2004 was a voluntary women’s educational trip, organized by the Rhineland-Palatinate Rwanda department in the Interior Ministry. The following private trips were repeatedly used by the specialist to also maintain exchanges on the topic of (sexualized) violence against women on the side.
“There is no specialized center on the topic of sexualized violence for adult women in Rwanda, but there are different offers for violence against women in partnerships or on the topic of sexual abuse. The topic also comes up in different offers,” Diehl summarizes the conversations with colleagues on site. The psychologist Thérèse Uwitonzet from the Mental Health Dignity Foundation in Huye, for example, leads a self-help group for mentally ill people, in which a raped woman can also talk about what happened with others.
Another meeting took place in Kigali in the premises of the HOPE Foundation, a non-governmental organization that among other things also offers services on violence against women in partnerships.
The so-called “key sentences” from their training materials by co-founder Violette Dusabimana make clear: The dark figure for violence against women in Rwanda is immensely high and those affected need support to talk about what they experienced. And further: “Despite the government’s progress in combating violence against women, existing social norms and traditions disadvantage women in the socio-economic area. Furthermore, the considerable stigma and discrimination that accompanies the topics of rape and partnership violence prevents an open debate about violence against women in Rwandan society.”
“These sentences could also be from us and describe the situation in Germany,” knows Heike Simon, voluntary emergency helpline employee and responsible for correspondence with colleagues in Rwanda. “Here too, the topic is still taboo, negated, trivialized. Here too, many women are financially dependent on the perpetrator and fear that blame will be transferred to them.
The women’s emergency helpline has been looking beyond “the German horizon” for years to exchange ideas about problem-solving strategies and action concepts. The contact with the Association Partnership Rhineland-Palatinate-Rwanda with its coordination office in Kigali is very helpful. Here, so-called “grassroots partnerships” are supported on equal terms. Also visits like the one to Antoinette Makuta from the Ineza-Kabaya Center for children with disabilities near Ngororero.
The closest contact that Anette Diehl maintains together with her husband Dr. Christian Lenhart in Rwanda is with the now 26-year-old godchild Fideline. An intensive relationship has developed from the former school sponsorship of the Rwanda department. (Responsible: Anette Diehl)
Frauennotruf Mainz e.V.
Specialized center on the topic of sexualized violence
Coordination center of the State Working Group (LAG)
Kaiserstr.59-61
55116 Mainz
Tel.: 06131 / 22 12 13
www.frauennotruf-mainz.de
Buy and donate:
https://www.boost-project.com/de/shops?charity_id=1026&tag=bb
