DETAILED REPORT ON SITUATION OF RAPED, WIDOWED, LANDLESS AND OTHERWISE TRAUMATIZED WOMEN IN RWANDA PRESENTED TO ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE

1 February 1996

Press Release
WOM/896

DETAILED REPORT ON SITUATION OF RAPED, WIDOWED, LANDLESS AND OTHERWISE TRAUMATIZED WOMEN IN RWANDA PRESENTED TO ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE

19960201 Rwanda's Representative Calls for Establishment Of Culture of Peace and Human Rights in Wake of Genocide

True reconciliation in Rwanda following the 1994 massacre which had left 500,000 women widowed and 400,000 children orphaned, requires the establishment of a culture of peace and of human rights, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women was told yesterday afternoon by that country's representative who presented an oral report submitted on an exceptional basis. The 23-member Committee is the monitoring body of the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

The Director of the Promotion of Women for Rwanda, Venantie Mukarugomwa, said women had been raped, physically disabled and forced to witness killings of family members during the carnage. Subsequently, several were injured or rendered infertile from botched abortions. Most had no access to health facilities and were at risk from sexually transmitted and other diseases.

She said another major problem was that under the customary law, women could not inherit land. A majority had encountered extreme difficulty in retaining their property upon the death of male relatives. Moreover, 67 per cent of women were illiterate. Legislation was being reformed to enable women to own land and the judicial system was being revised.

Experts expressed sympathy and solidarity with the representative and people of Rwanda and voiced hope that peace and reconciliation would prevail. The need for education on human rights as well as confidence-building measures among ethnic groups was stressed. Experts emphasized the importance of ending arms flows and training to militias and the prosecution of war criminals. There was an urgent need for women to own land and have access to credit. One expert recommended that all programmes of international assistance should emphasize the empowerment of women. Another expert stressed that women must be actively involved in the reconciliation process and judicial reform.

Responding to experts' questions, the representative of Rwanda stressed that the ethnic factor had been manipulated for political gain.

The Committee will meet again at 11 a.m. tomorrow, 1 February, to consider the report of its Working Group I, which deals with ways to expedite the work of the Committee.

Committee Work Programme

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women met yesterday afternoon to hear the introduction of the report of Rwanda submitted on an exceptional basis (document CEDAW/C/RWA/SP.1, to be issued).

Introduction of Report

Introducing the oral report of Rwanda, presented to the Committee on an exceptional basis, VENANTIE MUKARUGOMWA, Director of the Promotion of Women, recalled that war had broken out in her country in 1990. During the four years of war and the subsequent genocide in 1994, Rwandan women had been sorely tested. In less than four months in 1994, 1 million people -- one of every six persons in the country -- had been massacred. The entire army had been mobilized to carry out the genocide and a high proportion of the population had been forced to participate in it.

Commenting on the reasons for the genocide, she said it could be attributed to a bad Government and a sense of impunity. A culture of violation of human rights had made genocide possible. Therefore, in order to achieve true reconciliation, a culture of respect for human rights had to be developed. Fundamental freedoms had to be guaranteed to all people, and the victims of genocide had to be remembered.

Most of the survivors of the massacre had been women and children, she said, adding that they subsisted at present under extreme poverty. A judicial process which provided compensation to victims was required. However, the material and financial resources of the Government were limited.

Genocide had left a legacy of many social problems, she continued. Those included issues of repatriation and reintegration, broken families and physical, psychological and moral scars. The educational system had been disrupted. The Government was recommending assistance and preferential treatment for access to social services for the survivors. Emphasis was also being laid on building rehabilitation centres and providing housing, food, health care and education for the survivors.

Some governments had disregarded the genocide and hostile pressure was being exerted by some members of the international community on the Rwandan Government, she stated. During the genocide, the State machinery had been destroyed, and an atmosphere of distrust still existed among the people. The economy was dominated by humanitarian assistance and a large part of the regular and development budget went towards relief efforts. The infrastructure was in urgent need of revitalization.

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A centre to assist the survivors of the genocide had been set up, she said. Survivors included those who had been mutilated, orphans and old people as well as raped and disabled women. The Government was in the process of setting up several income-generating projects. Compensation for survivors was a duty of the Government and the international community. A national memorial to the victims of genocide was being constructed.

Emphasizing the total destruction of the social fabric of Rwanda, she said, its 6 million people had been completely traumatized, there were 500,000 widows and 400,000 children with nobody to care for them.

Calling attention to the insufficiency of the health infrastructure, she said that women were particularly vulnerable. Due to fatigue caused by unplanned pregnancies and hard work they were more susceptible to infection. They had suffered rape and deportation, and many had been disabled. Many others had seen their families killed. They were at risk for sexually transmitted diseases, particularly AIDS, and were often injured in attempting abortions. Since rape in Rwanda was coupled with shame, victims did not seek help. Moreover, a majority of the population had no access to health facilities. There were women plunged in depression, while others had given in to promiscuity. While some had difficulty maintaining intimate relationships, others had produced several children in an attempt to replace massacred children. That had posed a tremendous risk to maternal and neonatal health.

Women had also faced difficulty in retaining their property as 67 per cent of them were illiterate, she went on. The lack of laws on inheritance had also hindered their access to property. In the area of education, women over the years had faced inequal opportunities. They were largely unrepresented at higher and secondary levels. Moreover, education for women had focused on home economics and social services. Daily domestic labour had not left women with time to become involved in literacy programmes. Although the Constitution recognized the equality of the sexes, in practical terms that had not been recognized. In Government, in 1995, there were about 9 per cent women.

The participation of women in decision-making was low, she said. Unfair legislation, insufficiency of political will and superstitions had stood in the way of equality. Women had poor access to information and were marginalized in their house work.

In the legal area, she said that although the Rwandan Constitution recognized equality, in family courts there were inequalities. In control over family property and in parental authority women were discriminated against. The survivors, who had lost their property during the genocide, had no legal protection against illegal seizure of their property. Since many single women were heads of families today, a substantive reform of Rwandan legislation had been initiated.

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Before the outbreak of the massacre, women had comprised 51 per cent of the population, whereas currently they comprised 70 per cent, she said. Even prior to the war, the rate of activity of women in agricultural and pastoral work was 97.9 per cent. However, custom did not recognize the right of women to own property.

Currently, the economic empowerment of women was being emphasized, she continued. Attempts were being made to improve their legal status and to strengthen their role in building a culture of peace. A project to revise the penal and civil codes was under way and laws in the area of inheritance were being enacted.

In addition, a medical programme for the psycho-sociological health of women had been launched, she said. A national programme for peace had been launched and women were being encouraged to participate. The international community, through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), had agreed to contribute $627 million to rehabilitation and reconstruction in the country.

Discussion of Oral Report of Rwanda

The Chairman of the Committee, IVANKA CORTI, expert from Italy, said the statement had been very moving. To hear the words "genocide" and "massacre" so often in one statement was something that inspired a true horror of war. The statement had ended with an appeal for solidarity and assistance for the survivors of genocide. She expressed the hope that the survivors could live in a more just society where women would find their rightful place. The Committee would do everything in its power to help Rwandan women. Experts were willing to offer experience and to see what could be done in their respective countries.

She said the apocalyptic pictures on television of events in Rwanda strengthened the desire to fight for peace. The Committee was very conscious of one particular crime which was mentioned several times -- rape, which had occurred on as large a scale in Rwanda as it had in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. During the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights, rape in the time of war was determined to be crime against humanity and a war crime.

She asked if there was political will to provide education so that women could be empowered. Also, was there adequate political will to ensure a state of law? Was there enough political will to review and revise the laws so as to implement the provisions of the Convention? Would punishment of the guilty be possible? Did the Government know where the guilty parties were? National reconciliation was the basis for establishing a state of law where women would enjoy justice and fundamental rights.

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In general, experts thanked the representative of Rwanda for the frank and moving report and expressed solidarity and sympathy to the survivors and victims.

An expert said that rebuilding the country was a long and difficult procedure. The traditional cultural values regarding war were among the basic values that had to be changed. If one wanted to improve the lot of women, one had to start with education. The problem of arms flows also had to be dealt with. Legal reform was a very long process. If the culture was not changed, it would be difficult to enact changes in the law. It was important for women leaders and non-governmental organizations to give priority to education in values of peace, respect and equal rights. She asked how many women leaders, women's organizations and university graduates there were in Rwanda. While it was important to build monuments to remember the massacres, the first priority was to provide basic needs such as food and medical support. She said that her own country, Indonesia, had suffered massacres in 1954 and 1965 and monuments were built years later rather than at the beginning of reconstruction. Priority should be placed on education.

Another expert said it was clear that the genocide in Rwanda had not been a spontaneous event but one that went back as far as 1959. It was a conflict that had been carried on also through external forces. The most important issue was reconciliation. To achieve this and to achieve peace, confidence must be established and suspicion must be removed among the different ethnic groups. No effort should be spared in this effort. Rwanda and the international community must demand an end to all actions aimed at arming and training the militias and extremist elements in Rwanda and in the refugee camps. As long as extremists were being armed, there would never be an end to war. The Government must collaborate with the international community and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to establish a State ruled by law. The overcrowded prison situation also deserved attention.

Noting that the country had to be rebuilt from scratch, an expert said the principal concern was survival. Women could not own land and had no access to credit. The war had exacerbated an already terrible situation. Even though the political will might exist to improve the status of women, this could not be achieved in the short term. It was commendable that the Government had established focal points for legal reform and peace. It was hard to know where to start in such a tragic situation, but there seemed to be the will to succeed. She urged a cessation of training and arming of guerrillas and soldiers by some major powers. It was hoped that past horrors would not be repeated, and that normality would return so that citizens could move on to rebuild their country.

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Another expert said that when the massacre had occurred an enormous number of children had seen their relatives being massacred, leaving terrible memories. There were still many refugees. Unless the majority returned, economic recovery would be difficult. She asked what measures had been taken to persuade the refugees to return home.

Another expert said her country, Bangladesh, had also experienced genocide at the hands of the Pakistani military. However, in Rwanda the massacre had been carried out by various groups in the society. She asked how women felt about it. Had they played a major role in the genocide? How would strengthening State machinery help the situation unless an emphasis was placed on education which stressed human rights? The content of education was very important since many who had participated in the genocide were educated. Education alone would not stop problems. Much depended on the content of the education. All forms of discrimination should be tackled. She asked if perpetrators of the genocide were being brought before the International War Crimes Tribunal and whether they were involved in the current Government. Importance should be placed on the many Conventions the Government had ratified as vehicles for reconciliation, she added.

An expert from Israel said she also belonged to a people who had suffered genocide. The scars went deep and passed from generation to generation. People suffered from the guilt of either being an accomplice or a survivor. Collective trauma ran deep. It was not that women were just victims, they had also been perpetrators. It was very difficult to focus on the problems considering the dimensions of the atrocities. The programme to give psycho-social assistance to victims of violence was extremely important. The dimensions of rape were so great that relations between men and women had been shaken. It was mostly women who had survived and they were raising the children. What were they conveying to the children about men?

The emotional well-being of women was key to the emotional well-being of the nation's children, she continued. In October 1995, the Secretary-General had presented a progress report on the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) which mentioned the human rights field operation that was trying to re-establish the judicial system and improve prison conditions. In 1994, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women had stated that it was imperative to make a special effort to prosecute war crimes against women. Was the United Nations human rights field operation working on this issue? she asked.

Another expert, from Tunisia, said the priority had quite rightly been given to the establishment of internal security, the rule of law, and reconciliation. Education on human rights must be integrated into all African cultures. There was not one culture that led to genocide and crime. Cultural respect must be a uniting catalyst. Women must find their principal role in

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development. Many children who were lost or displaced by the events must find their parents again so they would no longer be subject to rape or violence. She asked which international non-governmental organizations were presently assisting Rwanda. National reconciliation was the most important process facing the Government and women could assist at the family and community levels. She expressed the hope that peace and stability would return to Rwanda and international assistance would be forthcoming and wisely managed.

Another expert said one had to be courageous to survive the horrors experienced in Rwanda. The basis for national reconciliation should be political, economic and ethical. Human rights must be stressed. The genocide in Rwanda cast shame on all humanity.

Another expert said there must be true disarmament of the local militia for reconciliation to take hold. She asked what status the Office of the Director of the Promotion of Women had and if it could develop gender sensitive programmes. The women's units at the community level provided a means to find a long-lasting solution to current problems. She asked what support was being provided to strengthen the women's units.

Another expert said Rwanda showed that nuclear weapons were not needed for mass destruction and that light weapons were capable of such horrors. People who were implementing the peace were, according to some reports, perpetrators of the genocide. Reconciliation without justice would not last. Emphasis should be placed on building a culture of peace. States that continued to provide arms should be held accountable.

Another expert said that the fact that most of the population in Rwanda was women and their rights were not equal to men's presented a difficulty in overcoming the genocide and its aftermath. The Committee should recommend, through the Economic and Social Council to the General Assembly and all institutions within the United Nations system, that they bear in mind in all their programmes of assistance that one of the priorities should be to meet the needs of women. Programmes should contribute to the empowerment of women by applying all provision of the Convention.

Another expert applauded the Government's priority of national reconciliation, its emphasis on the rule of law and its quest for justice. She recommended that, although there would be many short-term measures, time be taken to ensure that true justice prevailed. Expressing concern at reports that women had participated in the genocide, she recommended that women instead be sought for their skills of mediation and deployed as peace-seekers in the process of national reconciliation. Applauding efforts to reform family law and re-organize the judicial system, she recommended that women be drafted to participate in the process and serve as judicial officers. It was critically important that women have access to land and other assets

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especially since a large percentage of women bore the brunt of supporting survivors of the conflict and helping to heal family wounds. Women who were committed to peace should play a major role in the reconciliation process since they had the mediation skills, sought peace more than men, and had the interests of society and family at heart.

Ms. MUKARUGOMWA, Director of the Promotion of Women for Rwanda thanked the members of the Committee for their encouragement, support, sympathy and suggestions. She said she had been present in Rwanda during the genocide and had lost her husband and many of her family members. Responding to experts' questions, she said there was not really an ethnic problem but a bad government, a bad ideology. Her identity was Hutu but her mother was Tutsi. She had a Hutu father and a Tutsi mother. There were a lot of mixed marriages. At a certain point in time, people did not even discuss ethnic differences. The ethnic factor was used for political gain. When the political system was bad, it led the people on to bad paths. The Hutu and the Tutsi did not have problems of co-existence but some people exploited the situation to cling to power. Unfortunately, there were early examples. In 1959, the country had moved from a feudal to a democratic system. The killings that had occurred then were a result of a change in power. When one power wanted to take over from another power, they used the ethnic pretext. The problem was mediocre leadership that exploited the situation.

In talking about national reconciliation, she said the new Government had been composed in accordance with the Arusha Agreements. The new Government was dedicated to reconciliation and reconstruction.

She said there was political will to help women which was reflected in official statements. Last year, on 8 March -- International Women's Day -- there had been a campaign for peace and women. Women could not wait to be invited by men to do something. Women reacted immediately after the war to find ways to survive. There were women's organizations within the country and women tried to organize to form committees to change matters.

In response to another question, she said there was a department that focused on women which encouraged a gender-based approach in programmes. The political will existed to promote women's rights. There was currently a bill under discussion to change the property and inheritance laws to benefit women. On another issue, she said that for the time being, there were guilty parties outside of the country and persons presumed to be guilty in prison. There were 1,089 women in jail. Some women had participated in the genocide. In some higher levels of civil service posts, there were women who had been involved in the planning of genocide. Women would be arrested just like men. However, measures had been taken to protect them while they were in prison.

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She said about 200 non-governmental organizations had come to Rwanda after the genocide and there were still about 120 present in the country. The organizations provided assistance to women in difficult circumstances. While developing a culture of peace was difficult, the challenge must be undertaken. People were fed up with fighting and killing and were resolved to build a culture of peace.

She then told a story about a Hutu woman married to a Tutsi whose husband and two children had been killed. When she tried to return to her Hutu family with her two remaining children, she had been killed by Hutus because they said she was bringing back enemy children. It was not a Hutu- Tutsi problem but a problem of understanding. All Rwandans spoke the same language and 75 per cent were Catholic. Reconciliation might take a very long time but it was feasible, particularly because the women had had enough and there were so many mixed marriages.

In response to another question, she said the building of monuments was not an immediate priority and did not take precedence over the provision of housing and food. There were several priority areas. A great deal of emphasis had been placed on the content of education. Some stressed the education of women by women, while others said that men, too, had to be educated. Efforts were being made to improve the status of women. The new Government was making an effort to place women in positions of responsibility and decision-making. The women continued to support this process.

In response to a question on the composition of external forces who supported the militia, she said she could not answer. On the question on overcrowded prisons, she said what was needed was not the construction of more prisons but rather the delivering of justice to judge the guilty and free the innocent.

Concerning the refugees that refused to return home because they feared prison, she said some needed the courage to suffer the fate of justice. If someone was guilty, they had to face justice. It was deplorable that there were innocent people who were being held hostage by those responsible for the genocide. The return of refugees was being carried out quite slowly, but many women and children had returned. The Government had reaffirmed the principle of the repatriation of all refugees and temporary reception centres had been established to shelter refugees while permanent housing was found.

She said the Government was trying to enact legislation that adhered to the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Programmes were under way to help women.

She thanked members for their support and promised that she would remain in contact with the Committee. The Government was obliged to manage international assistance funds wisely to benefit the people of Rwanda, she concluded. * *** *

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