Rwandan Government Action on Child Protection and

UNCLAS KIGALI 000464

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/C, DRL, AND G/TIP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PHUM ELAB SOCI RW
SUBJECT: Rwandan Government Action on Child Protection and
Gender-Based Violence


1. Summary: During a May 8 courtesy call on the Minister in
Charge of Family and Gender Promotion in the Prime
Minister's Office, Ambassador underscored USG interest in
gender issues, in particular trafficking in persons, and
Embassy's desire to provide assistance to the GOR to combat
child prostitution. The Minister noted that Rwandan law
defines "trafficking" as having a cross-border element and
that Rwanda has no such cases. The GOR has established a
task force and drafted legislation to address the issue of
an estimated 6,500 street children. It also has plans to
strengthen the 2001 law on the protection of children
against violence. End summary.


2. Ambassador met with Valerie Nyirahabineza, Minister in
Charge of Family and Gender Promotion in the Prime
Minister's Office, on May 8 to emphasize the importance of
the issue of trafficking in persons and to discuss ways in
which the U.S. and Rwanda can cooperate to combat the
problem. He noted that while many of our assistance
programs, such as our USD 71 million HIV-AIDS program in
Rwanda, may indirectly benefit women and street children,
Embassy wanted to explore possibilities for addressing the
specific issue of trafficking in persons.


3. He explained that the USG definition of "trafficking" is
not limited to cross-border incidents but includes
prostitution of any minor under the age of 18, who is
considered a trafficking "victim." Because the U.S.
considers trafficking in persons a serious crime, it is
exploring ways to combat the problem worldwide. He asked
the Minister how best the U.S. and Rwanda could cooperate on
combating trafficking in general, and child prostitution in
particular.


4. The Minister recalled that in 2005 the GOR received a
critical report on trafficking of women and children from
NGO "Sharing Rwanda." The GOR believed this report
exaggerated the extent of the problem and issued a response.
While the GOR itself has not surveyed the extent of the
problem, the Minister noted that as a result of the genocide
and widespread poverty, Rwanda has small groups of street
children, some of whom have become prostitutes.


5. She explained that under Rwandan law "trafficking" is
defined as including the crossing of international borders
and that Rwanda does not have such cases, but has other
problems as a consequence of the genocide, including poverty
and large numbers of widows and orphans. The GOR has
established a task force comprised of the Ministries of
Justice and Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor General's
Office, and the National Police to focus on rape, security,
and prostitution.


6. The Minister noted that the GOR has plans to further
address the problem of street children. Currently, there is
a draft law to protect street children by targeting
operators of establishments that provide venues for child
prostitution, e.g., hotels and cinema halls. Ambassador
commented that it has been very difficult to obtain reliable
information on the extent and nature of child prostitution
and ways to address the issue. Noting that Sharing Rwanda
estimated in 2000 that there were 2,140 child prostitutes in
Rwanda, he asked the Minister if she knew the source of that
information and whether the GOR had its own statistics.


7. The Minister characterized Sharing Rwanda's data as
incorrect and said she was not aware of the source and that
her office only considers official data provided by the
National Police, Ministry of Justice, or the Prosecutor
General. She cited an estimate of 6,500 street children,
some of whom are prostitutes, but noted that this estimate
was made one year after the 1994 genocide. She said that
UNICEF has found that the number of street children is not
increasing.


8. She observed that gender-based violence is the big
problem in Rwanda and that prostitution is considered one
aspect of this broader problem. She explained that the act
of prostitution is illegal both for the client and the
prostitute. The National Unity and Reconciliation
Commission is conducting a survey on the impact of genocide
on gender-based violence, including prostitution, and
developing policy regarding gender-based violence with
assistance from international consultants. In addition, the
Minister is negotiating with other agencies to develop
legislation to provide greater protection for the victims of
such violence.


9. Ambassador pointed out that while the Embassy recognizes
the larger picture of gender-based violence, it is also

focused on the specific issue of child prostitution because
the U.S. is very concerned about abuse of minors. While
child prostitution is a small issue in Rwanda, the Embassy
is prepared to fund Sharing Rwanda to support efforts to
combat child prostitution but wants to ensure that its work
is coordinated with the GOR. Ambassador promised to provide
samples of draft anti-trafficking legislation from two other
African countries for consideration by the GOR, and urged
Rwanda to adopt similar legislation. The Minister replied
that the samples would be very helpful as the GOR moves to
amend its 2001 law to strengthen protection of children
against violence.

Arietti