1

AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF CASES OF

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN RUTSIRO, KAYONZA,
NGORORERO DISTRICTS AND THE CITY OF KIGALI

REPORT

Report produced by UNIFEM

In collaboration with the Department of
Applied Statistics of the National University of Rwanda

June 2008

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The objective of this study is to provide reliable quantitative and qualitative information that would enable UNIFEM

and her partners to develop strategies and interventions aimed at fighting against Gender-based Violence in

Rwanda. At the global level, studies have demonstrated that gender-based violence is perpetrated by husbands

or male partners and that these husbands/partners or former partners force between 12% and 25% of women to

have sexual intercourse with them (WHO 2002). These incidents are still being reported in spite of the fact that the

United Nations General Assembly voted against this in 1979, the existence of the Convention on the Elimination of

all Forms of Discrimination against Women that makes reference to the inalienable rights of women. This research

seeks not only to measure the frequency of incidents of sexual gender-based violence experienced by women in

Rwanda in their various life situations, but also to analyse the perceptions that the community has about the

nature, causes and consequences of these incidents of violence.

It is against this backdrop that a baseline survey that is both quantitative and qualitative has been undertaken

to measure the magnitude of the phenomenon of sexual gender-based violence and to determine its underlying

causes and consequences. The study was carried out in the Rutsiro, Kayonza and Ngororero districts as well as in

the city of Kigali. Nearly 1,056 individuals from the households in the sample responded to the household question-

naire and 24 Focus Group Discussions were carried out. Interviews with 19 key informants were also conducted.

The data analysis reveals that the attempt to force a woman to have sexual intercourse and forced sexual inter-

course were considered to be the most serious forms of violence by the majority of the survivors (70%) of acts of

violence perpetrated in the public domain, that 49% of the respondents had been insulted/sworn at by their hus-

bands/spouses and that for 31% of the respondents, their husbands/spouses had used force to induce them to

engage in sexual intercourse. In general terms, the violent acts and attacks experienced by the respondents are

clearly more pronounced within the marital union compared to other life environments (in public, family environ-

ment and the neighbourhood).

How can one explain this state of affairs? Rwandese women do not know their rights and are therefore unable to

institute legal proceedings as they are also loath to expose their family secrets; compared to men, they have a more

limited access to the economic resources that would enable them to demand justice in cases of sexual violence.

Moreover, the police, health and legal services do not provide the appropriate atmosphere for them to report this

dimension of spousal abuse.

In order to fight against this scourge, capacity building in terms of prevention and eradication of gender-based

violence in all the sections of the social, medical, legal and police departments must be emphasised, as they are all

involved either directly or indirectly with the women who become victims of gender-based violence.

Other research projects at the national level should be carried out in order to verify the validity of the causes/factors

of gender-based violence in Rwanda, to establish relationships that link these factors in order to arrive at a more

definitive diagnosis and provide explanations.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank all the people who participated in one way or another in this project. Their out-

standing contribution encouraged us to undertake this research project in order to shed light on the magnitude

of this scourge of sexual gender-based violence, especially the abuses perpetrated against women in Rwanda.

We therefore wish to thank:

Lecturers from the Department of Applied Statistics of the National University of Rwanda who agreed to lead

the different research teams in the field and also to draft the field reports.

All the female researchers who carried out the task assigned to them and who were especially able to appease

the minds of the women survivors of gender-based violence that they interviewed when they presented the

questionnaires to them. Without their assistance, it would have been impossible for us to put together the

modest contribution that you will find in this report.

All the women interviewed (more that 1,000 of them) who agreed to respond to questions in the framework of

this project, and particularly the key persons who were interviewed and who, in spite of their busy schedules

in the health, police, schools management and activities of the Civil Society, all made their contribution to this

report.

UNIFEM who placed their confidence in us by entrusting us with the task of undertaking this rewarding work,

full of challenges in the field of scientific research, which is an area that is very close to our hearts.

All those who participated in the pre-validation of this report and who contributed comments and asked

questions that enabled us to enrich and correct the first version of the report.

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 4.1 Objectives, 17
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, 3
4.2 Definition of Concepts, 17
1. MAIN OUTCOMES, 9

4.3 Methodological approach, 18
1.1 The Socio-demographic
Characteristics Family, Friendship
4.3.1 Quantitative Approach, 18
and Love Relationships of the Subjects
of the Survey, 9
4.3.1.1 Sampling Plan 18
1.2 The Violence experienced by Women in
4.3.1.2 Household Questionnaire 21
Public spaces, 9
4.3.2 Qualitative Approach, 22
1.3 The Abuses and Assaults Inflicted on
Women within the Marital Relationship, 10
4.3.2.1 Focus Group Discussions 22

1.4 The Abuses Inflicted on Women within the
4.3.2.2 Semi-structured Interviews 22
Family and Familiar Environment, 10
4.3.3 Ethical Values of the Study, 23
1.5 Reactions and Actions Survivors
Resort to in Cases of Abuse, 11
4.3.4 Organisation of the Study and

Group Discussions 23
2 THE RWANDAN CONTEXT, 12

5. PRESENTATION OF THE RESULTS, 24
3. RATIONALE, CONTEXT, AND
SURVEY METHODOLOGY, 12
5.1 Results of the households surveys, 32

3.1 The rationale of the survey, 12
5.1.1 Socio-demographic Characteristics of

the Respondents, 24
3.2 THE CONTEXT OF THE SURVEY, 13

3.2.1 At the international and African
5.1.2 Abuses Inflicted on Women in
levels, 13
Public spaces, 27

3.2.2 At the national level, 14
5.1.3 Abuses suffered by Women within

the Marriage Relationship, 29
3.3 Laws, Policies, and Strategies, 14

5.1.4 Abuses Inflicted on Women Within the
3.4 Role of the Rwandan National Police, 15
Family and Familiar Environment, 31

3.5 Role of the Prosecution, 16
5.1.5 Reactions and Actions Survivors

Resort to in Cases of Abuse, 32
3.6 Role of the National Human Rights
Commission, 16
5.1.6 Consequences of the Abuses on the

Survivors, 35
3.7 Role of UN Agencies 16
5.2 Results of the focus group
3.8 Role of the Civil Society 16
discussions and interviews, 35
4. THE SURVEY METHODOLOGY, 17
5.2.1 Types of Abuse, 35

5.2.2 Causes of the Abuse, 36

5.2.3 Consequences of the Abuse, 36

5.3 Recommendations, 36

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Distribution of the Population by

5.12 Discussion of the results, 37
Main Age Groups, 24
6 GENERAL CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS, 38
Figure 2 Distribution of the Women

Surveyed According to their Level

6.1 General Conclusion, 38
of Education, 24

6.2 Recommendations, 39
Figure 3 Distribution of the Women
BIBLIOGRAPHY, 40
Surveyed According to their Level

of Literacy, 24
ANNEX A Household Questionnaire, 43

Figure 4 Distribution of the Women

ANNEX B Interview Guide for the Focus
Surveyed According to their
Group Discussions, 61
Marital Status, 24

ANNEX C Summary of the Answers of the

Figure 5 Distribution of the Women \
Focus Group Discussions 63
Surveyed According to their

Marital Relationship, 25
ANNEX D List of the People Interviewed by

District – Summary of the

Figure 6 Distribution of the Spouses
Interviews with the Key
According to their Level of
Informants, 66
Education, 25

ANNEX E Answers, 66
Figure 7 Existence and Causes of

Disputes in the Household, 25

Figure 8 Existence of Family Conflict

during Childhood and Teenage

Years, 26

Figure 9 Age Difference with the Partner at

the Time of the First Sexual Encounter,
26

Figure 10 Attitude of the Survivor towards

the First Sexual intercourse, 26
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Figure 11 Relationship with the Partner during Figure 22 Persistence of the act of abuse 33
the First Sexual Encounter, 27
Figure 23 Seeking support after the
Figure 12 Insults/Abuses and Verbal Assaults assault 34
Experienced, 27

Figure 13 Exhibition of Sexual Organs, 27

Figure 14 Most Serious Abuses Suffered

According to the Survivors, 28

Figure 15 Types of violences undergone

in couples 29 LIST OF TABLES
Figure 16 Types of abuses suffered within the

marriage 30
Table 1 Distribution of Samples into
Figure 17 Types of violences undergone by the
Strata, 19
investigated 12 months before the
investigation Survey, 30
Table 2 Setting up of the focus group
Figure 18 Insults and Abuses Inflicted by
Discussions, 22
Relatives, 32

Table 3 Abuses sufferd by women

Figure 19 Slaps, blows, and other forms of
within the Marriage Relationship, 29
Physical Brutality Experienced, 32

Table 4 Type of abusers 33

Figure 20 Sexually Abusive Touching,
Table 5 Reaction of the survivor against the
Attempted Rape, and Forced
abuser, 33
Intercourse Experienced, 32

Table 6 Consultation of a physician and

Figure 21 Number of times the survivors
experienced abuses, 32 quality of reception 34

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 LIST OF ACRONYMS

AVEGA:
MINISANTE:
Association des Veuves du Génocide d’Avril 1994
Ministère de la Santé
(Association of Widows of the 1994 Genocide)
(Ministry of Health)
ARCT:
WHO:
Association Rwandaise des Conseillers en Traumatisme
World Health Organisation
(Rwanda Association of Trauma Counsellors)
RGPH:
CV:
Recensement Général de la Population et de l’Habitat (Gen-
Coefficient of Variation
eral Population and Housing Census)
CSPRO:
RWAMREC:
Census and Survey Processing System
Rwanda Men’s Resource Centre
EDSR:
SPSS:
Enquête Démographique et de Santé
Statistical Package for Social Scientist
(Health and Population Survey)
SWAA:
FACT:
Society for Women against AIDS in Africa
Forum for Activists against Torture
UNICEF:
FFRP:
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund
Forum des Femmes Rwandaises Parlementaires
UNIFEM:
(Forum of Women Parliamentarians of Rwanda)
United Nations Development Fund for Women
GDF:
UN-CEDAW:
Focus Discussion Group
United Nations-Convention on the Elimination of all Forms
GBV:
of Discrimination against Women
Gender Based Violence
UPS:
IMPS:
Unité Primaire de Sondage
Integrated Micro Computer Processing System
(Primary Sampling Unit)
INSR:
USAID:
Institut National de la Statistique du Rwanda
United States Agency for International Development
(Rwanda National Statistics Institute)
GBV:
IRC:
Violence Basée sur le Genre
International Rescue Committee
(Gender-Based Violence)
LIPRODHOR:
HIV/AIDS:
Ligue pour la Promotion des Droits de l’Homme au
Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immuno
Rwanda (Rwanda Commmission for Human Rights
Deficiency Syndrome
MIGEPROF:
SGBV:
Ministère du Genre et de la Promotion Familiale
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
(Ministry for Gender and Promotion of Women/ Family

Promotion)
MINALOC:
Ministère de l’Administration Locale

(Ministry of Local Government, Good Governance,

8
Community Development and Social Affairs)
1
MAIN OUTCOMES
alcoholism, and 3.8 from that of other people.
9. 36.2% of the women surveyed indicated that they
had been adopted during their childhood or teenage years,
1.1 Socio-demographic Characteristics, Family, as opposed to 63.8% who were not in this category.
Friendship and Love Relationships of the 10. 28% of the women surveyed had suffered from
Respondents of the Survey. material deprivation during their childhood or teenage
years.
1. The distribution of the respondents reveals that 11. About 13% have had a very serious conflict with
11% are in the 12-17 age bracket, 28% in the 35-39 age
one of their parents while 29.5% lived in an environment
bracket, and the majority (61%) in the 18-34 age groups.
characterised by severe tension or violence between their
2. Most of the people surveyed (75.2%) had attended
parents during their childhood and teenage years.
primary school. Among these, 57.2% had completed their
12. Concerning sexual relationships, about 80%
primary school education, 3.5% their post-primary school
indicated that they had had sexual intercourse, with 25%
education, 10.8% their secondary school level, and 1.6%
of them having had their first sexual encounter before the
their higher education, while 26.8 have never been at
age of 18.
school.
13. With regard to the age of the first sexual encounter,
3. 67.1% of the subjects of the survey can read and
3% were younger than their partners, 15% were of almost
write, while 26.7% are illiterate, and 6.1% can only read.
the same age, 70% were older, while 12% were 10 years
4. Among the respondents, 52.6% are married, 29.2%
unmarried, 9.7% widowed, 7.3% divorced, and 1.2% sepa- older or more.

rated from their partners. 14. About 59.2% of the respondents said that the first

5. The majority of the subjects of the survey (54%) sexual experience was something they had longed for,

work in the agriculture sector, 9% in the area of commerce, 22.9% responded that it was something they did want but

3% are involved in domestic activities, 3.8% in handicrafts, which they accepted. About 17.8% of the subjects of the

and 2% are civil servants; 27.5% are unemployed. survey had

6. About 54% of all the respondents were living with endured the first sexual encounter against their will.
their husbands or spouses during the period of the survey, 15. Concerning the respondents’ relationship of with
17.5% were no longer living as a couple while 26% had nev- their partners during the first sexual encounter, 73% of the
er been married and 1.8% had several partners. partners were their husbands/future husbands, 17% were
7. About 44% of the husbands/spouses of the women partners they were in love with, 7% were known partners
surveyed had completed their primary education, while but who they did not love, 2.3% were partners they had
5.2% had their post secondary level, 8.5% their secondary
just met.
education, 2.6% the higher education and about 38% were
illiterate. Concerning the frequency of disputes within the
1.2 The violence experienced by
households, 79% of the respondents indicated that they
women in public spaces
had never had a dispute in their households against 21%
who had had disputes 18% of which had been provoked by
1. 11.3% of the women surveyed have been insulted
their husband/spouse.
once, 5.1% between 2 and 3 times, 1.5% between 4 and 10
8. With regard to the issue of alcoholism in the
times, and 9% more than 10 times.
household, 10.3% of the women surveyed had been faced
2. 13% of the women surveyed were persistently fol-
withproblems related to their husbands’ alcoholism, 1%
lowed on foot, by car or motorcycle
with their children‘s alcoholism, 3.2% by relatives’

9
3. 8% of the respondents were subjected to indecent 7. For 39% of the respondents, their husbands/

exhibition of sexual organs: 4.5% suffered it once and 3.2% spouses scorned their opinions in the privacy of their

two times and more. home, for 28% in front of their children, and for 21% in front

4. 12% of the respondents declared that their bags, of other people.

wallets, jewellery and other objects were violently stolen: 8. For 34% of the respondents, their husbands/

9% once and 3% two times or more. spouses stopped to talk to them or totally refused to
discuss.
5. 17% of the women surveyed suffered, against their
9. 33% of the respondents were forbidden by their
will, indecent touching of their breasts, buttocks or have
husbands/spouses to have access to the household money
been cornered to be publicly kissed. About 8% underwent
for the current needs of everyday life.
that once, while 9% underwent it twice or more.
10. 12.3% of the respondents declared that their
6. 10% of the women surveyed have been forced to
husbands/spouses attacked their children or separated
undergo or make indecent touching and half of them
them from their mothers.
suffered it twice or more. 44%, that is 48 out of the 108
11. 49% of the respondents have been insulted/abused
women surveyed , suffered a forced sexual intercourse
by their husbands/spouses.
while 41%, that is 44 women surveyed , witnessed
12. 20% of the respondents have been brutally rushed
attempted forced sexual intercourse.
or grasped.
7. The attempted forced sexual intercourse is
13. 26% of the respondents have been slapped, beaten
considered as the most serious violence by the majority of or undergone other physical abuses.
the survivors (39%) followed by the forced sexual 14. 17% of the respondents were hampered from going
intercourse (31%). back home, locked in or chased away or abandoned on the
road side.
1.3 15. 9% of the respondents have been threatened of
The Abuses and assaults inflicted on suicide by their husbands/spouses.
women within the marital relationship 16. For 12.3% of the respondents, they underwent
death threats from their husbands/spouses.
1. 22% of the respondents declared that their 17. 5% of the respondents have been threatened with
husbands/spouses forbid them to meet or speak with a weapon (knife, tool, revolver, etc...).
friends or family members. 18. For 6% of the respondents, their husbands/spouses
2. 36% were forbidden to talk to other men. attempted to strangle or kill them.

3. For 34% of the respondents, their husbands/spous- 19. For 31% of the respondents, their husbands/

es criticised what they did. spouses forced them to make love.

4. 21% of the respondents received unpleasant re- 20. 15% of the respondents declared that their

marks for their physical appearance (too fat, ugly…) from husbands/spouses imposed sexual acts they did not want

their husbands. to adhere to.

5. 29% of the respondents were imposed by their

husbands how to dress, to do their hairs or to behave in
1.4
The Abuses inflicted on women within
public.
the family and familiar environment
6. 37% of the women surveyed have been compelled
to report to their husbands with whom and where they
1. About 28% of the women surveyed have been victims
were.

10
of insults or abuses on behalf of their relatives (sons, 9. Only 16% of the survivors consulted a lawyer,
brothers, daughters-in-law, mothers or other relatives). among whom 14% by themselves and 2% through another
2. About 10% of the women surveyed have been person.
slapped, beaten or suffered other physical abuses. 10. About 10% of the survivors consulted a physician.
3. Out of 58 respondents, 86% of them had undergone 36% among them were very well received against 64% who
forced sexual intercourse or attempted sexual intercourse have been well received.
while 12% had suffered from sexual touching or 11. About 18% of the survivors reported the case to
undressing. This violence was mainly inflicted by the the police among whom 7.2% by themselves against 3.7%
bosses (17% of the women surveyed) and the other men through another person, about 7% did not disclose
living in the neighbourhood of the women surveyed (31%). anything about the matter.
12. Among those who referred the case to the police,
1.5 49% were well received against 8% who were not well
Reactions and actions survivors received.
resort to in cases of abuse 13. 15% of the survivors lodged a complaint them-
selves against 3% who did it through another person.
1. For 30 % of the survivors, the acts of violence have
Among them, 71% declared that they were well received
stopped, 21% think that such acts can occur again, while
against 6.3% who were not well received.
for 39% these acts are still occurring.
14. 30% of the survivors received a receipt for
2. The attacks have been perpetrated for 40% cases
lodging a complaint against 46% who did not get it.
by the husband, for 18.6% by relatives, and for 15% by
15. 13% of the cases were followed up by the court.
strangers, for 5.3% by a brother-in-law of the survivor,
16. For 15 cases (30%), no condemnation of the guilty
for 2.7% by the father of the survivor, and for 1.6% by the
party was made, for 33 cases (66%); the condemnation of
mother’s spouse.
the culprit has been done while for 2 cases (4%) the
3. Out of 376 cases of declared assaults, in 22% of the
proceedings are still ongoing.
cases, the assailants consumed alcohol against 72% who
17. About 8% of the survivors have been referred to
did not take alcohol before the assault.
the judicial mediation following the complaint.
4. Drugs were taken in 8% of the cases of assault
18. Only 5% (17 cases) received a financial
against 81% of non consumption at the period of the
assistance and for about 2% (7 cases) of the survivors, the
attack.
request was being processed at the period of the survey.
5. 26% of the survivors tried to deter the assailant,
19. About 30% of the survivors (111 cases) did not,
21% fell in tears, and 18% managed to escape, 8.5% beat
until then, dare going out or visit some people ; 12% of
the assailant, 8%struggled, and 1.9% insulted the
the survivors decided to move away after the assault while
assailant.
31% declared to have modified their habits (movements,
6. 38% of the survivors immediately talked about the
going out, and enforcement of the house security).
assault to someone, 20% spoke to someone after several
20. About 31% (115 cases) preferred to secretly give
days/months, while 36% did not tell anybody.
the information in order to protect themselves.
7. 73% did not stop working after the assault against
21. About 39% (n =139) of the survivors declared to
18% who stopped working.
have suffered from troubles requiring a psychological
8. Only 8% of the survivors sought assistance, among
follow up following the acts of violence.
whom 5.6% by themselves and 2.4% through another
person.

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22. 26% of the survivors (n: 98) have had their health centre in order to have access to health care has

sexuality permanently troubled following sexual abuses. been evaluated at an average of 3.35 hours. This leads to a

23. 9% of the survivors (33 cases) became pregnant. high maternal mortality rate in Rwanda (750 deaths out of

24. Nobody declared an abortion or having envisaged every 100,000 births).

to abort, but about 11% (n: 40) preferred to keep silent while

3
4.5% (17 cases) declared to have been infected by a
RATIONALE, CONTEXT AND
sexually transmitted disease.
SURVEY METHODOLOGY

2 3.1
THE RWANDAN CONTEXT THE RATIONALE OF THE SURVEY

In Rwanda, sexual violence the phenomenon of sexual

violence poses so many problems that many wonder about
R wanda is located in Central Africa, South of the Equator,
its magnitude. Indeed, the issue interests many political
between 1+4’ and 2+51’ southern latitude and between
leaders, international organizations, the civil society as well
28+39’ and 30+54’ eastern longitude. With 26,338 square
as the community as a whole. The consequences of this
kilometres, it is bordered by Uganda in the North, Tanza-
phenomenon are obvious (HIV/AIDS and STDs, unwanted
nia in the East, the Democratic Republic of Congo in the
pregnancies, physical and psychological trauma, etc.), but
West, and Burundi in the South. With no access to the sea,
its causes remain ill defined. Some studies carried out on
Rwanda is a landlocked country; it is located at, as the crow
the SGBV emphasise the description and condemnation of
flies, 1200 km from the Indian Ocean and at 2000 km from
the violence and the aspect of the violation of the human
the Atlantic Ocean. It had a population of 8 128 553
rights of women.
inhabitants in 2002.
This population is basically young (people under 20 years of
On the other hand, confronted to the SGBV, the present
age make up 67% of the total population) and a bigger per-
study sponsors (Government and UNIFEM) deemed it
centage of it is female (52% of women against 48% of men)
relevant to ask oneself the reason of this violence, to dentify
(RGPH, 2002).The natural growth rate estimate was 2.6% in
and analyse its socio-cultural causes, to underline the
2003 while the fecundity rate is high, at an average of 6.1
factors and motivations leading the actors to perpetrate
children per woman (EDSRIII - 2005).
such acts against women and girls.

More than 8 people out of 10 are employed in agriculture

This baseline study on SGBV would make it possible to:
among whom 81% men and 93% women. On the other hand,
provide an overall understanding of the problem and
illiteracy remains relatively high. As a matter of fact, 36%
facilitate the preparation of appropriate policies and
of the population aged 15 years and more cannot read and
strategies for the eradication of all forms of violence against
write; only 4% women can read (RGPH, 2002)
women and girls. develop programmes for advocacy against

sexual violence and support initiatives for women and girl

In the area of health, the prevalence of the HIV/AIDS among
who are survivors of the scourge within the specialised
the adult population is about 3% among whom 3.6% women
institutions , and provide a database on rape cases
against 2.3% men. According to the National Observatory
involving women The phenomenon of Sexual
for Poverty, 21.5% women and 22.1% men only consult a
Gender- Based Violence is not unique to Rwanda; it is also
health staff when they fall sick. The time span to reach a
an issue of concern at the international and African levels.
health staff when they fall sick. The time span to reach a

12
3.2 THE CONTEXT OF THE SURVEY end of the World Conference onWomen, reinforced that
position and called upon the governments to take action to
3.2.1 At the International and African prevent and eradicate violence against women. In Africa,
levels the adoption, by the African Union, of the African Union’s

Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s

According to the World Report on violence and health
Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa is an important
published by the WHO in 2002, the types of abuses
step in line with the efforts made to promote and ensure
women undergo are often perpetrated by husbands or male
the protection of African women’s rights. Adopted on July
sexual partners. The private nature of this type of violence
11, 2003, during the second Summit of the African Union
often makes it virtually invisible since everything happens
in Maputo, Mozambique, this Protocol appeals to African
behind closed doors, or because legal systems and
governments to eradicate all forms of discrimination and
cultural norms often deal with this violence not as an
violence against women in Africa and to put in place a
offence but as a family affair or as a normal part of life.
policy of equality between women and men.
This state of means that half of humanity is exposed

to a risk factor capable of having seriousconsequenc-

In Africa, the phenomenon of Sexual Gender-Based Violence
es on health, but which is often ignored (WHO, 2002).
takes on many forms whose main ones are the following:

First of all, there is the case of under age housemaids,

Moreover, in all the countries where the WHO carried out
those young girls sent to the city, by their family to work for
reliable large-scale studies, between 10% and 50% of
family members or people known by their families, who
women testify to having been physically assaulted by an
end up being terribly exploited - including sexual exploita-
intimate partner during their lifetime. Population studies
tion - in their host family. Furthermore, sexual violence is
reveal that between 12% and 25% of women have been
exacerbated by wars and civil conflicts in the refugee
forced to have sexual intercourse with an intimate
camps where children and teenagers are unprotected.
partner or ex-partner in their lifetime. In addition, the

abuses suffered by women are almost exclusively

n Africa, there is also in Africa the practice of early mar-
perpetrated by men. Women are most often the victims of
riage where very young girls are married off to men
acts of violence committed by men they know. Women and
who are old enough to be their fathers, which is also a
girls are the primary victims of violence perpetrated by
way of sexually abusing a child or teenager even when
intimate partners (http://www.who.int). At the internation-
this abuse takes the form of a respectable marriage.
al level, in 1979, the UN General Assembly, when voting
And finally, the practice of female genital mutilations is also
on the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Dis-
observed in Africa, although it is mostly prevalent in all the
crimination against Women, recalled the inalienable rights
Western African countries. According to the World Health
of women and this fight has never stopped since that time.
Organization (WHO), between 100 and 140 million girls and
women are circumcised in the world. Even today, 3 million
The issue of violence perpetrated against women was men-
girls, most of them aged less than 15 years, undergo Female
tioned, in 1985, during the 3rd World Conference on Human
Genital Mutilation every year. This practice has significant
Rights held in Vienna: gender-based violence was officially
physical and psychological consequences on the women
recognized as a violation of a woman’s basic human rights,
who have undergone it, such as increased risk of compli-
and, on that occasion the International Community agreed
cations during pregnancy and childbirth, including death.
on the definition of violence for the first time,. The Beijing
(http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/fgm/).
Platform of Action adopted on September 15, 1995, at the

13
 policies, and strategies that seek to ensure the protection

3.2.2 At the national level of women against Sexual Gender-Based Violence.

During the 1994 Genocide, although the correct figures will 3.3 Laws, Policies, and Strategies
never be known, survivors’ testimonies confirmed that rape

was particularly widespread. According to the survey car- 1. The National Gender Policy falls within the

ried out in 1999 by AVEGA-Agahozo on the violence per- framework of the sustainable and equitable development

petrated against women during the 1994 genocide, the age programme adopted by the Government of Rwanda. Its

of the women and girls raped ranged from two to over fifty objective is to ensure that, in all the development fields,

years and most of the rapes were committed against young women and men have the same opportunities of access to

women aged from sixteen to twenty-six years resources, goods and services as well as to the control of

(AVEGA-AGAHOZO, 1999). the same, and that their specific needs are taken into
account in the entire development process;

The survey carried out in 2005 by the Ministry of Family and 2. The National Policy on Violence against women

Promotion of Women (MIGEPROF) in collaboration with and children is being drafted by the MIGEPROF. Its objec-

UNICEF among 304 rape victims found that the average tive is the prevention and eradication of all the forms of

age of victims was twenty-four years. Among them, 28 per violence against women and children in Rwanda ;

cent are under eighteen years of age, 43.75 per cent were 3. The National Reproductive Health Policy and

between nineteen and twenty-six years of age; 17.1 per Health Policy which both incriminate sexual violence and

cent were between twenty-seven and thirty-five years of domestic violence state that perpetrators of the same must

age, while 8.55 per cent were aged between thirty-six and be punished by the law. In a general way, these policies

forty-five years, and 1.6 per cent were more than forty-five facilitate the integration of GBV services into health

years old – 0.7 per cent did not respond. In this group, 63.8 services.

per cent were young unmarried girls (MIGEPROF, 2005). 4. The Draft Law on the prevention and repression of

According to the demographic and health survey (EDSR-III) the Gender-Based violence (under adoption by the

carried out in Rwanda, in 2005, about one third of women Rwandan Parliament) specifies that Gender-Based Violence

(31%) had suffered physical violence at a certain point in is a crime and clarifies the penalties;

time, from the age of 15. It should be noted that, for 47% of 5. The Draft Law on reproductive health governs the

the cases, the perpetrator of the abuse is the husband/part- sexual violence in general and the violence against

ner. In addition, the results of that survey show that 35% of children and minors in particular;

women have experienced, marital violence at some point, 6. The 27/2001 Law on children rights and protection

whether the violence was physical, emotional or against violence. This law is dated 2001 and deals with the

sexual. More serious is the fact that 10% of women violence inflicted on children in general, and as it Gender-

declared that they had suffered from acts of violence while Based Violence. It lays particular emphasis on the sexual

they were pregnant (NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF violence against children.

STATISTICS OF RWANDA, 2007). Other enactments and laws adopted in Rwanda indirectly
deal with gender-based violence. We have the ones listed

In the face of such an alarming situation, the Government below, among other instruments,

of Rwanda and its development partners have not kept qui-

et. They are constantly trying to find a solution through
laws,
14
1. The 2003 Rwandan Constitution which, in its requires the eradication of all forms of discrimination and
Article 11, states that all Rwandans are born and remain violence against women in Africa, and the setting up of a
equal in terms of their rights and duties; this Article also policy of equality between men and women by African
prohibits discrimination of any kind be it based, among governments. It was ratified by Rwanda on June 24, 2004;
other things, on ethnic origin, tribe, clan, colour, gender, This set of initiatives in support of the fight against
region, social origin, religion or belief, opinion, economic sexual gender-based violence using laws and the
status, culture, language, social, physical or mental state. implementation of policies is facilitated by the existence,
2. The 1999 Law on matrimonial regimes, gifts and within Parliament and the Senate, of the Rwandan Women
inheritance enacted in 1999. This law gives women Parliamentary Forum (RWPF) whose objectives are, among
access to inheritance rights in the same manner as for men, others:
whether through their families, by birth as well by affinity - The establishment of a serious focus, study,
(through marriage). pressure, political, and humanitarian action group taking
3. Decree-law 21/77 dated August 18, 1977, relating the issues related to human rights in general, and women’s
to the Penal Code (under revision). On the issue of GBV, the and children’s rights into account, in particular as they are
Penal Code recognizes as an offence: the indecent enshrined in national and international legal instruments;
assault, the rape of a child, spousal rape, prostitution, and
sexual harassment, adultery, bigamy (i.e. any violence of a - The identification of the problems experienced by
sexual nature). The country has also ratified and adhered the populations in general and by women and children,
to numerous conventions, charters, and declarations on in particular, and find solutions in collaboration with the
fighting violence against women, among which the most relevant authorities;
important are: As mentioned in the preceding sections, development
1. The Convention on the Eradication of all Forms of partners do not play less important roles in the prevention
Discrimination Against Women adopted in 1979 by the and struggle activities jointly undertaken against SGBV at
United Nations and ratified by Presidential Decree n° the decentralized structures levels.
431/12 dated November 10, 1980 ;
2. The Beijing Platform of Actions adopted in 3.4 Role of the Rwandan
September, 1995, which comprises 12 priority areas of National Police
action for all the countries that attended that conference,
including Rwanda; The Police have put in place very interesting initiatives in

3. The Convention on the repression of trade in the fight against violence and crimes, in general, and

human beings and the exploitation of prostitution to which gender-based violence violence, in particular.

Rwanda also adhered through a presidential decree dated The first of these is commonly referred to as « Community

December 31, 2002; Policing ». It is a philosophy fostering and supporting the

4. The Convention on the consent to marriage, the implementation of strategies aimed at fighting the causes

minimum age for marriage, and the registration of of crime and social disturbances through the resolution of

marriages, ratified in 2002. problems using the police in partnership with

5. The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and communities (public, elected members at all levels,

People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, dated government, and other organisations)

July 11, 2003, adopted during the second summit of the (http://www.police.gov.rw)

African Union in Maputo, Mozambique; the Protocol

15
The second one is the setting up of a Gender Desk within
the National Police of Rwanda with the support of UNIFEM 3.7 Role of UN Agencies
; its main objectives are to provide the GBV victims access
to the Police, sensitize the policemen, magistrates, and lo-

cal authorities on GBV and human rights, to improve legal In April 2007, UNIFEM launched a programme entitled: «
support and access to counselling services through Supporting women’s involvement in peace building and
partnership with women’s associations responsible for the prevention of sexual violence in conflict situations ». The
promotion of women’s rights as well as improving the programme’s main objectives are to support women in
access of rape victims to medical assistance (http://www. peace building and conflict prevention at the community
police.gov.rw). This unit exists in all the police stations level as well as the prevention of gender-based violence
across the country. while appropriately catering for the needs of survivors.

3.5 Role of the Prosecution UNDP has funded UNIFEM, and activities have been

prepared to support initiatives for fighting against

gender-based violence in Rwanda. With respect to the
The Prosecuion arm supports the police in the integration of women in other country development
prosecution of perpetrators when a file with a complaint programmes, the UNDP Governance Unit also provided its
lodged about a case of gender-based violence is presented. support to parliamentarians for the drafting of the law on
The file is examined and a more detailed investigation is gender-based violence. Further, very recently, a strategy
even carried out when some elements of the evidence are and plan of action (2007-2012) were established by UNDP
missiong. A special programme within the office of the Rwanda ((UNDP, 2007).for the purpose of better responding
Prosecutor has been put in place for the purpose of assist- to its commitment to take the gender dimension into
ing victims of gender-based violence and there is aspecial consideration at the national level
fund available to provide support for them if necessary.

3.8 Role of the Civil Society

3.6 Role of the National Human
Role of the National Human Rights
Commission The civil society is also very active in fighting against

Gender-based Violence. The national organizations that

are active in this field are namely:

At the district level, sectors and units of the Rwanda HAGURUKA: A Non-Governmental Organization for the

Committee for the fight against Gender-based Violence protection of the rights of women and children;

perpetrated against women and children have been - AVEGA-Agahozo: An April Genocide Widows’

established by this Commission. The Commission Association;

sensitises people on the rights of women and assists - Profemmes Twese Hamwe: A group of 41 women’s

women when their rights are violated. It also associations presenting itself as a platform, an exchange

provides guidance and support to draft laws that deal with and consultation framework promoting women’s

human rights and equality between men and women. development as well as effective and efficient participation

in national development;

16
- FACT-Rwanda: Forum of Activists against Torture. 5. To examine the political context in which the SGBV

It was created in 1999 following the April 1994 genocide survivors live;
and aims at fighting any torture or organized violence. It 6. To analyze the community perceptions on the na-

is an organization gathering about sixty volunteers from ture, causes, and consequences of the SGBV.

different professions who work part-time for this organiza-

tion; 4.2 Definition of Concepts

- Rwanda Men’s Resource Centre, whose objectives
are to mobilize Rwandan men to support women aspiring In order to better understand the concept and place them
to gain access to decision-making positions in Rwanda, in in the context of the study, the words used in it (sex,

order to put an end to the violence perpetrated by men as gender, violence) have been defined hereinafter.
well as to serve as positive male role models;

- Rwanda Women’s Network : In fighting Gender- The word «sex» refers to the biological characteristics of a
Based Violence, this organization fights against domestic male or female person (animal). These characteristics are
violence as well as the rape of children and young girls; congenital and their differences limited to their

- ARCT-Ruhuka: A Trauma Counselling physiological reproductive functions.

Association.

The word «gender» denotes the social characteristics

assigned to men and women by a given society.
4 THE SURVEY METHODOLOGY
The word «violence» refers to violent behaviour as a means
4.1 Objectives of control and oppression under the emotional, physical,

social, economic aspect of coercion. The victim of violence

The overall objective of the study is to provide relevant is forced to behave in a manner that is agreeable to the

quantita tive and qualitative data from which UNIFEM and perpetrator by accepting his violent behaviour against

her partners will prepare strategies and actions to fight him/her (on her reproductive organs, on other parts of the

against gender-based violence in Rwanda. body, the soul, or spirit …).

The specific objectives are as follows: In addition, we call gender-based violence (GBV) any

1. To outline the various types of interpersonal act perpetrated against somebody’s will and resulting from

violence inflicted on women in their different life the biological characteristics of her/his specific role as a

environment s (family, public space), whoever the violence sexual human being. It happens due to beliefs, traditions,

perpetrators might be; behaviour or attitudes that are harmful towards the

2. To measure the rate of the gender-based violence individuals according to their sex (Josse Evelyne, 2006).

suffered by women in the different life environments

(public space, married life, relationships with the family or According to the UN-CEDAW (1994), incidents, gestures,
relatives); situations or words likely to compromise the physical and
3. To analyze the family, social, cultural, and moral integrity of another human being constitute acts of
economic context of the violence situations; violence. These are, among others:
4. To study the women’s reactions to the in relation

to the violence suffered, the manner in which they resort to

their neighbours and institutional services;
17
Physical violence: slapping, beating with or without an
object, threatening with a weapon, attempts to strangle or Operational definition of sexual
murder, locking a person in or preventing them from going gender-based violence
out, abandonment on the roadside (by ordering out of the

car), preventing a person from going to one’s home.

In brief, sexual gender-based violence may be defined as
violent behaviour that is linked to sex, whose compelling forces
Emotional and psychological abuse: picking on are related to family, economic, social, and cultural precedents
that encourage unequal power relationships between men and
children, abducting children ; controlling the outings and women, conferring an attitude of superiority and domination on
the perpetrator and an attitude of subordination on the victim .
the relationships ; imposing specific behaviour, despising,

undermining the value of a person, denigrating a person,

bullying, keeping somebody in the background, refusing to

speak ; threatening, threatening with death, use of

emotional blackmail, insulting, debasing, etc. 4.3 Methodological Approach

Economic abuse: preventing someone from having access

to resources, refusing to meet the fundamental needs (food, The baseline survey on SGBV is based on both a
drink, clothing, shelter, etc …) of a family member (wife, quantitative and qualitative approach. The combination of
child, father, mother, grandfather or grandmother) or of the the two approaches made it possible to measure the
whole family. magnitude of the phenomenon and to determine its

underlying causes and consequences. The survey was

Sexual abuse: forcing someone to have intercourse under carried out in six districts, three from Kigali Town and three
duress, imposing unwanted sexual practices and touching, others in the rural areas.
forced sexual intercourse with other people; rape and sexu-

al abuse of children, defilement and incest, forced sodomy, About 1056 households - individuals took part in the survey
etc… and 24 focus group discussions were held. Interviews with
19 key informants were also carried out.
Malicious acts using an object: throwing, tearing,

breaking, destroying a decorative object ( handmade 4.3.1 Quantitative approach

object, artistic object or other item ).

Verbal abuse: insults, abuses. 4.3.1.1 Sampling plan

Harmful traditional practices: early marriage, This study requires rigorous scientific accuracy, which

infanticide, etc… means adherence to traditional sampling techniques. This

According to the UN-CEDAW (1993), the word «sexual requires the preparation of a survey plan explaining all the

abuse» as a form of gender-based violence denotes any sample selection steps and the procedures used to arrive at

act, attempt or assault of a sexual nature that affects the an estimate of the surveyed population.

victim emotionally, physically or psychologically as a

manifestation of unequal power relations between men and

women, resulting in the domination of women by men.

18
Survey frame there are no eligible respondents.
The survey frame is derived from MINALOC data. It
comprises the list of the villages targeted Size and distribution of the sample

(imidugudu), each one with its number of households.

The size of the sample is determined both by the degree of

Stratification accuracy, the time allocated to the implementation of the

The sample of the study is stratified at two levels. survey and the human and financial resources available.

Indeed, taking into account the sexual behaviour and the Thus, taking into account the timing of the survey and the

homogeneity of the population, the latter is budget available, the size of the representative sample is

classified into two groups, namely: the City of Kigali, 1056 households.

representing the urban area and the rest of the districts

covered by the study, which represent the rural areas. By assigning the questionnaire to 22 households in every
sample village (cluster), this sample will be drawn from 48

Inside each stratum considered, the sample is constitut- villages, with 24 villages per cluster, as illustrated in the

ed at two levels: at the area level (geographical, village/ table below. The systematic selection process covering the

umudugudu) and at the households’ level. entire list of the villages in the cluster will ensure a good
distribution of the sample over the 6 intervention districts

At the first level, the villages/imidugudu constitute with about 8 villages per district.

the Primary Survey Units (PSU) and are selected ac-

cording to their size, the size being determined by The sample was assigned by cluster as follows:

the number of households in the village/Umudugudu.

Table 1 Distribution of the sample
At the second level of the selection, the households to into strata
be interviewed are systematically selected with an equal

probability of selection inside the village (Umudugudu)

included in the sample. The systematic drawing technique
Strata Total number Proportion Distribution Distribution
has the advantage of ensuring a good spatial distribution of households (In %) of villages of households
distribution
of the sample since it sweeps across all the parts of the Kigali Town 190 767 50.3 24 528
Rural area 188 526 49.7 24 528
survey frame in stages and at constant intervals. It should
(Rutsiro
be emphasised that the lists of the households living in Ngororero
Kayonza)
the village “umudugudu” are regularly updated and are Total 379 293 100,0 48 1056

provided by the authorities at the grassroots level.

At the level of the selected household, the information The sample selection exercise was conducted as follows:

to be captured in the questionnaire is given by a female The sampling ratios were determined in every stratum and

household member aged at least 12 years. In case of there the sample units were systematically selected.

are several eligible members in the household, a simple

proportional allocation will facilitate the choice of the

respondent while the selection of some reserve households
will serve to make up for the sample households in which

19
 The sample units were selected using the
At the first level, the probability of drawing a
following procedure:
village/ umudugudu (UPS) is given by the formula
At the first level:
1) The sample frame comprised the villages
/ midugudu in the stratum each one with M hi
members of its households;
P1h = ah
Mh
2) The cumulative size was calculated in a
manner that produced a cumulative figure
where
equal to the total number of households in
ah = number of UPS (villages drawn) in the
the stratum;
stratum (cluster) h
3) The sample units were systematically
Mhi = number of the UPS i households of the
selected using interval selection (Ih) and
stratum h
the random distinction (Rh).
Mh = total number of households in the
The first sample unit is identified by Rh
stratum h
obtained by multiplying Ih by the random
number between 0 and 1. The second

sample unit corresponds to Rh plus Ih. mhi

The subsequent sample units are
P2 h =
M hi
identified (on the cumulative sum) by

adding consecutive multiples of Ih until

where
the size of the sample is achieved.
mhi = number of the households drawn in the

PSU i of the stratum h

The i sample unit (Shi) in the stratum h can be
Mhij = total number of the PSU i households in
selected using the following formula:
the
S hi = Rh + ( i − 1) I h pour i = 1,2,...., nh stratum h
where:
Therefore, the overall probability of drawing a household in
Shi = selected number for the i sample unit in the
the stratum h is
stratum h
Ph = P1h x P2h
Rh = starting random for h stratum h ;
In general, the household drawing probability is
Ih = drawing interval for h stratum;
nh = number of selected sample units in the h P = ∏ Ph

h with h = 1, 2
stratum.

At the second level:

The estimates of the population parameters are done by
The systematic selection of the households followed the
statistical inference consisting of the projection of the
same procedure after their numbering.
results drawn from the sampling of the whole population.
The sampling probabilities are calculated for every esti-
These results are weighed using the projection factor (or
mate, that is, for every cluster. This requires the prior de-
sampling weight) which is the reciprocal of the sampling
termination of the sampling probability at each drawing
probability, that is, Wh = 1 / Ph at the stratum level and
level in the stratum (cluster).
W = 1 / P for the whole.

20
 Weighting factors adjustment As a guide, the variance ratio estimator of a total through

After the field collection activities, an adjustment of the the method of the last cluster used by CENVAR can be ex-

initial weightings is necessary in order to take the ratio of pressed as follows:

the possible non-response in every stratum into account.

This adjustment is done in the following manner: Total Estimator Variance

Wh’=Wh*( mhi / mhi’) with Wh= 1 / Ph

where:
 Yˆh 
W’h = the raising factor adjusted for the stratum V (Y ) = ∑ (1 − fh) (nh nh − 1)∑ (Yhij − )
ˆ ˆ
T  j nh 
h units

Wh = the starting raising factor for the stratum

where:
h units
weighted total for the variable y in the jth
mhi = the number of sampling households in the ˆ Yhij =
sample h ousehold
PSU i of the stratum h
In the umudugudu (PSU) i of the stratum h
mhi’ = the number of sampling households in the

Yˆh = ∑ Yˆhij = weighted total for the variable y in the
PSU i of the stratum h actually interviewed.
k
stratum h

Estimators of the survey

The ratio estimator variance is expressed as

follows:
The computed estimators are generally the total figures
Ratio Estimator Variance
and the ratios.
The total estimator (number of rape cases) can be

expressed as follows:
X
1
 [
V ( R ) = 2 V (Y ) + R 2V ( X ) − 2 RCov

]
( X , Y ) ,
ýh = ∑ Wihýih (at the stratum level) and

ý = ∑ Nh/N* ýh (at the overall level)

In order to attain the objectives set out, a household
The ratio estimator (case of the ratios to estimate) is
questionnaire was administered to the women and girls of
defined as follows:
at least 12 years of age and belonging to the sample

households.
nh

∑w y
ih ih

Ph = i =1 4.3.1.2
Household Questionnaire
nh

It is subdivided into two categories of modules, namely:

Variance estimate procedures 1. The first module that captures the

The variance is calculated using a module CENVAR of the demographic, social, and economic

IMPS software. This module provides, for every estimate, characteritics of the subjects of the survey.

the sampling error, the coefficient of variation (C.V.), the 2. The following modules that capture the

confidence interval at the threshold of 95%, and the design acts and situations of the abuses meted

effect (DEFF). out in the various spheres of life; the

classification of the modules being

determined by the need to of mentioning

21
first the easiest situations and then the most difficult An interview guide (see in appendix based on the

ones: participatory approach was prepared to include the themes

- Public spaces (streets, public transport vehicles, and sub-themes to be developed during discussions with

administrations, etc …); the participants so that their attitudes, opinions, and

- The ,marriage context perceptions on the sexual gender-based violence

- Family and relatives. phenomenon could be recorded.

This questionnaire has been designed in way that facilitates The Focus Group Discussions were set up as follows:

the conducting of the interview by progressively drawing

out the violence situations in every life environment, which Table 2 Setting up of the Focus Group Discussions

sometimes encourages the recollection of events that

Districts Women Young Men Young Number
occurred in the past. 18 years Girls 25 years men of groups
and above 12-17 and above 18-24
years years
Rutsiro 1 1 1 1 4
It should be noted that the family space and the context of
Kayonza 1 1 1 1 4
marriage are the most likely theatres of abuse, while the
public space and the professional environment would be Ngororero 1 1 1 1 4

more of places of sexual harassment. Gasabo 1 1 1 1 4

Nyarugenge 1 1 1 1 4
Besides, in order to reduce the element of subjectivity in Kicukiro 1 1 1 1 4
the answers, the abuses are not defined beforehand. In the Number of 6 6 6 6 24
groups
questions, Besides, in order to reduce the element of

subjectivity in the answers, the abuses are not defined

The following groups:
beforehand. In the questions, the words “violence/abuse”
- For women: National Council of Women, teachers,
or « assault « are not used; only the incidents are
widows, social affairs officers, married women,
mentioned and described with as much clarity as possible
unmarried mothers;
in every life environment. Thus, every module is made up
- For the young girls : Students, school drop-outs,
of a list of subjects that are more or less identical, for which
National Youth Council, housemaids ;
the frequency is noted. This is done in order to make it
- For men : Ombudsman (Mediator), wise men
possible to draw comparisons and facilitate the
(Gacaca), security officers, teachers, farmers,
conducting of the interview.
taxi-drivers;
Qualitative approach
- For the young men: salaried workers, unemployed
4.3.2 Qualitative Approach
persons, students, National Youth Council.

4.3.2.1 The Focus Group Discussions

4.3.2.2 Semi-structured interviews

The Focus Group Discussions are organized in small

The semi-structured interviews were conducted among the
cohesive groups (from 8 to 10 people). The selection of the
local authorities, the police, the heads of the health centres
participants is determined on the basis of predefine
and representatives of the associations that provide legal,
criteria, namely age, sex, membership in associative groups

and profession.

22
psychological, and social support to the SGBV survi- researchers’ mastery of the questionnaire. .

vors. These interviews dealt with the laws, policies, and The test enabled us to demonstrate the respondents’

programmes related to sexual gender-based violence positive reception of the exercise and provided us with

and also with the care accorded to survivors of SGBV. an opportunity, to correct some deficiencies found in the
questionnaire. We were also able to enhance the
4.3.3 Ethical values of the survey researchers’ mastery of the questionnaire. .

Respect for the statistical secrecy (data confidentiality) was

In particular, it was established that:
strictly observed at all the stages of the survey activities, in ac-
– In the neutral context of this anonymous survey,
cordance with the organic statute N° 01/2005 Chapter VI dated
the women surveyed accepted to answer questions related
February 14, 2005, on the organization of statistical activities in
to their personal lives;
Rwanda..
– A high proportion of women who suffered abuses

The survey was therefore carried out in a manner guaranteeing spoke, during the survey, about themselves for the first

total anonymity, confidentiality, and security of the people sur- time and a very small proportion lodged complaints
veyed, thus ensuring the sensitivity of the subject under study.. – The reaction of the women surveyed and their an-

4.3.4 swers to the questionnaire also highlighted emotional inci-

Organisation of the Study and Group Discussions dents and the need to take them into consideration during
the survey;
In order to carry out data collection, processing and – A sensitization of the subjects of the survey took
exploitation of the collected data, researchers and data place as the interviews progressed ; the sensitization en-
input agents were recruited, taking their experience and courages the
skills in data collection and input, and especially their total declaration of the acts of abuse that are perpetrated against
availability for the survey. into account them;
A training course on the questionnaire and interview guide – The violence against women is also reported by
as well as the data collection methodology was organized espondents who wanted to give an account of all the as-
by statistical survey specialists with the assistance of data saults they suffered from, even if these represented the ex-
processing specialists. A training session on the code of periences of other women.
ethics and behaviour for investigators was also
organized. The data collection took place from March 27 to April 5,
2008. The data input and processing were done using
Further, in order to ensure the feasibility of such a survey, CSPro and SPSS statistical software.
the research team carried out a pilot survey for the purpose
of testing the whole process. This pilot survey took place And finally, tabulation and analysis plans were prepared
from March 19 to 20, 2008, and covered 40 households from following the adopted variables and the expected
sectors that were not involved in the sample. indicators.

The test enabled us to demonstrate the respondents’

positive reception of the exercise and provided us with
an opportunity, to correct some deficiencies found in the

questionnaire. We were also able to enhance the .

23
5
Figure 2 Distribution of the women surveyed
PRESENTATION OF THE RESULTS according to their level of education

5.1 RESULTS OF THE HOUSEHOLDS Distribution of the women surveyed according to their level of
education
SURVEY
70.0
57.2

5.1.1
60.0
Socio-demographic 50.0
40.0
Characteristics of the Respondents
26.8
30.0
20.0 10.8
10.0 3.5 1.6
0.0
AGE OF THE RESPONDENTS (N=1056) Sans
No niveau
level Primaire
Primary vocational
Formation
training
professionnelle
Enseignement
General
général
Supérieur
Higher
education
The survey covered the female population aged between 12
and 59 years. The distribution of the subjects of the survey
ABILITY TO READ AND WRITE (N=1056)
was done by principal age groups (12-17 years; 18-34 years;
67.1% of the women surveyed can read and write as
35-59 years). This option was motivated by the desire to
opposed to 26.7% who cannot read and write, and 6.1%
specifically observe situations in which the abuse was
who can only read.
perpetrated against minors (12-17 years), young women
(18-34 years), and adults (35-59 years). Thus, the
Figure 3 Distribution of the women surveyed
distribution of the respondents indicates that 11% are
according to their literacy level
in the 12-17 year age bracket, 28% in the 35-59 year age

bracket, and the majority (that is, 61%) in the age 18-34
Can read and write
year group.
27%
Lire et
Read andecrire
write

Figure 1 Distribution of the population by 6%

read
Lire
67% seulement
Aucun
principal age groups

Distribution of the population by principal age groups

MARITAL STATUS
11%
28% Among the respondents, 52.6% are married, 29.2% unmar-

ried, 9.7% widows, 7.3% divorced, and 1.2% separated from

61%
their partners.

12 -17 18 -3 4 3 5 -5 9

Figure 4 Distribution of the women surveyed

according to their marital status
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE (N=1056)
Distribution of the surveyed w om en according to their m arital
AND LEVEL OF EDUCATION (N=794) status

Most of the women surveyed (n=794), that is, 75.2%, had

60.0 52.6
attended school. Among them, 57.2 have completed the
50.0
primary level of education, 3.5% the post-primary school 40.0
29.2
30.0
level, 10.8% the general secondary school level, and 1.6%
20.0
7.3 9.7
higher education, while 26.8% had not been to school. 10.0
1.2
0.0
Single
Célibataire Married
Mariée Divorced
Divorcée Separated Widowed
Séparée Veuve

24
 OCCUPATION (N=1056) Distribution of the spouses according to their level of education

The distribution by profession indicates that 54% of the Figure 6 Distribution of the spouses according
women surveyed are involved in agriculture, 9% in trade, to their level of education

3% in housework, 3.8% in arts and crafts, 2% are civil 50.0

43.5

servants, and 27.5% are unemployed. 40.0

38.0

30.0

EXISTENCE OF A MARITAL RELATIONSHIP 20.0 13.7

8.5
(N=1056) 10.0
2.6 2.2

0.0
Figure 5 Distribution of the women surveyed NoSans
Level Pimary
Primaire Post primary
Post- primaire Secondary
Secondaire Higher school Not
Supérieur know
Ne sait pas

according to their marital relation-

ship

DISPUTES IN THE HOUSEHOLD (N= 552)

Figure 7 Existence and causes of the disputes
Yes
No in the household

Existence and cause of disputes in the household

3%

18%

54 % of all the respondents lived with their husbands or 0%

79%

spouses as a couple at the time of the survey, 2% lived with

several partners, 18% were no longer living with their

partners while 27% had never had a marital relationship. No

Non Only you
Seulement vous Only your
Seulement votrespouse
conjoint Both
Tous les deux

PARTNERS’ LEVEL OF EDUCATION (N= 772)

About 44% of the husbands or spouses of the women sur- About 79 % of the subjects responded that they had never
veyed had completed their primary education, 13.7% the had any disputes in their households, compared to 21%
primary school level, 8.5% the secondary school level and who revealed that they had had disputes 18% of which had
2.6% had completed the higher education level. However, been initiated by the husband/spouse.
about 38% had not had any education at all.

INCIDENCE OF ALCOHOLISM AMONG

RELATIVES DURING THE LAST TWELVE
YEARS (N=1056)
Out of the women surveyed, 10.3% have had to deal with
their husbands’ alcoholism, about 1% their children’s, 3.2%

that of their close relatives and 3.8% other peoples’

alcoholism.

25
 ADOPTION OF THE WOMEN SURVEYED AGE OF PARTNERS AT THE FIRST SEXUAL
DURING THEIR CHILDHOOD OR TEENAGE ENCOUNTER (N=843)
YEARS (N=1056) The results of this analysis reveal that 3% of the sexual
The analysis indicates that 36.2% of the women surveyed partners were younger than the respondents, 15% had
had been adopted during their childhood or teenage years about the same age, 70% were older while about 12% were
while 63.8% had not had that experience. 10 years older or more.

MATERIAL DEPRIVATION DURING Figure 9 Age difference of partners at the

CHILDHOOD AND TEENAGE YEARS time of the first sexual encounter.

28% of the women surveyed indicated that they had suf-

fered from material deprivation during their childhood and 12% 3% 15%

teenage years.

70%

EXISTENCE OF FAMILY CONFLICTS DURING

Younger
Plus jeune than
que lapartner/survivor
partenaire/survivante

CHILDHOOD AND TEENAGE YEARS (N=1056) Approximately

Environ
Older
Plus than
vieux the
que
the
le meme âge same age
la partner
partenaire/survivante
Much older
Beaucoup plusthan the
vieux partner
que (beyond 10 years
la partenaire/survivante ofdelà
(au difference)
de 10 ans de dif f érence)
Among the women surveyed, about 13% indicated that

they had had a very serious conflict with one of their par-

ents, as opposed to 29.5% who recalled serious tensions ATTITUDE OF THE SURVIVOR REGARDING
or an atmosphere of violence between their parents during THE FIRST SEXUAL ENCOUNTER (N=843)
their childhood and teenage years. For 59.2% of the respondents, these first sexual

encounters were something they desired at that time; for

Figure 8 Existence of family conflicts during 22.9% something they did not want to happen but which

child hood and teenage years they accepted, and for 17.8% something they accepted

against their will.

Existence of family conflicts during childhood and teenage
years

13%
Figure 10 Attitude of the survivor towards the
Oui
Yes
first sexual intercourse
87% Non
No

Attitude of the survivors towards the first sexual intercourse

18%

23% 59%

AGE AT THE FIRST SEXUAL ENCOUNTER Quelque chose you

que vous
Samething wantsouhaitiez à ce moment-là
at this time
(N=1056) samething
Quelque choseyou do not
que vous want to but
ne souhaitiez that que
pas mais youvous
accepted
avez accepté
samething
Quelque choseyou haveavez
que vous beenété forced
forcée detofaire
against
contre your will
votre volonté
During the survey, 80% of the women interviewed reported
that they had had sexual intercourse, with 26% of them hav-

ing had their first sexual encounter before the age of 18. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PARTNER AT THE
TIME OF THE FIRST SEXUAL ENCOUNTER
(N=843)

26
Figure 11 Relationship with the partner at the PERSISTENT STALKING (N=1056)
time of the first sexual encounter About 13% of the women surveyed were stalked

Relationship with the partner at the first sexual intercourse period (in %)
persistently either on foot, by car or motorcycle.

7 2 1

EXPOSURE OF SEXUAL ORGANS (N=1056)

17

71

The analysis reveals that 8% of the respondents

experienced the exhibition of sexual organs; 4.5% of these
Yourconjoint
Votre spouseouorfutur
future spouse
conjoint
Someonedont
Quelqu'un youvous
are étiez
in love (which is(autre
amoureuse not your
que lespouse)
conjoint) experienced this once and 3.2% twice or more.
Someoneque
Quelqu'un youvous
know but you are
connaissiez maisnot
dontinvous
loven'étiez pas amoureuse
Someoneque
Quelqu'un youvous
have just de
veniez meet
rencontrer
Someonequi
Quelqu'un who pay
vous you topour
a payée have sexdes relations sexuelles
avoir
Figure 13 Exhibition of sexual organs

Exhibition des organes sexuels

At the time of the respondents’ first sexual encounter 73%
of the partners were spouses or future spouses, 17% were

partners they fell in love with, 7% were known partners but 38% 1Once
fois
with whom they were not in love, 2.3% were partners they 62% 22 et
andplusou
3 times or more
3 fois

had just met.

5.1.2 Abuses inflicted on

women in public spaces

This section deals with the forms of abuses suffered by

the women surveyed in public spaces (bars, restaurants,

streets, public transport vehicles, parking lots, and other

places).

VERBAL INSULTS/ABUSES OR ASSAULTS

(N=1056)
Out of the women surveyed, 11.3% were insulted once,
5.1% 2 or 3 times, 1.5% between 4 and 10 times, and 1.9%

were insulted more than 10 times.

Figure 12 Insults/abuses and verbal assaults

suffered

Insults/abuses and verbal assaults

10%
7% 1Once
fois
22 ou
or 33times
fois
57%
Between4 4etand
Entre 1010 times
fois
26%
More than
plus 10 fois
de 10 times

27
 THEFT OF HANDBAG, WALLET, JEWELRY, ETC … (N=1056)
About 12% of the respondents reported that their handbags, wallets, jewellery, and other objects had been grabbed
violently for 9% this had happened once and for 3% two or more times.

TOUCHING, PETTING OR GRABBING/SQUEEZING (N=1056)

The analysis demonstrates that about 17% of the women surveyed underwent, touching of the breasts buttocks against
their will, or were obstructed and grabbed to be kissed in public. About 8% had suffered this kind of assault once while

9% had suffered it twice or more times.

FORCED SEXUAL TOUCHING / ATTEMPTS TO HAVE UNWANTED SEXUAL INTERCOURSE

(N=1056)
The analysis reveals that among 108 women surveyed, 10% were forced to suffer/accept sexual touching/sexual inter-
course and that half of them had undergone this twice or more times. Out of the 108 women surveyed , 48 of them had

suffered forced sexual intercourse while 44 had suffered attempts of forced sexual intercourse.

The following graph presents the most serious abuse according to the survivors (in %). The attempt to force sexual
intercourse was considered to be the most serious abuse by the majority of the survivors (39%) followed by forced sexual

intercourse (31%).

Figure 14 The most serious abuse suffered according to the survivors

The most serious abuse according to the survivors (in %)

Rapport sexuel Rape

forcé 31
39
Sexual touching
Attouchements sexuels 3
3
Menaces
Threats ou attaques
and attacks with 1
weapons
avec arme
3
Agression for
Aggression pourtheft
vol 3
6
Insults
Insults 8

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

28
5.1.3 Abuses suffered by women within the marriage relationship

Table 3 A buses suffered by women within the marriage relationship

Figure 15 : TYPES OF VIOLENCES UNDERGONE IN COUPLES

Types de violences subies en couple

45
40
35
30
Frequencies
Frequences

25
20
15
10
5
0
y
s n e t ac le k y
on me c ss
e im ren ap ea ne
ite

n
s

t
ue
s

ati
.

ran em int
ts
ai

n
ille

fts

g
e

rs

p tio
n

rle

o
io
ar
im
al

r dre
ho

an

e
et

os
io

d
iq

l
pe

re

es hil
ab

the sm ra
t

s- rp
ci

sh
pa

l re ea
ra
t

ys

nt

es
nf
lle
ac

lt
s
so

su

tiv pa
h

pa

to c
-i

e
re

es
ph

pp
-e

o
cc

ion
de

o
ie
s'

re

cia t a
n- oth
s

tia wh e
ut
.

ce

se

ea us
ns

to
de

cc
el

ut

ta
de

la w
qu

ns
e

ns

ni
us

in
ra

o o
ref
tr

thr
a
-a
c

io
io

g l - a
en

et

gs ei a dh tel op
en
n

en
io
ns

ef
ec
en

kin o
in

pin n’t
le

sc ion
io

in

fts
ns

iat
r

op
ar

of
co

ion
av

tin tal
at

ere
em

pa

y
op

to o
he

in ca
re
io
tp

ph
is

fa

of t
en rec
s
ap

ir

in op
in
ch

ed
c
or

ord ida
de

s
vo

su
en

of
on

pê

m a
de

v
op
al

ain
pê

p f
e

pre fro g isd

sa
m

bli
ris
iti

Em

e
qu

de no
ev

im
ris

s
Em

ism
ac
he

d isd int
de
ep
e

d
i

i
D

po

o
rit

ep
ig

en

nte t
c

cri da
M

d
C
pê

Im

ris
Ex

e dis
Em

ep

rev
M

p TYPESTypes
OF VIOLENCES
violences

Rarely
Rarement sometimes
Quelquefois often
Souvent systematically
Systématiquement

29
Figure 15 Types of abuses suffered within the 6. 12.3% of the respondents declared that their

marriage husbands/spouses had made death threats against them.

10 e t +
10 and + Indeed, 6.7% experienced this kind of threat one to three
AGRESSION
Assaults DONE
women TO WOMEN
suffered duringINthe
THE LASTmonths
twelve 12 MONTHS
preceding the survey
44-10
-10 fo is
times
60
22-3
-3 times
fo is times, while 3.4 of them were subjected to it 4 to 10
1once
fo is
50
times.
40
7. 5% of the respondents declared that their hus-
30
bands/spouses threatened them with a weapon (knife, ob-
20

ject,
10

revolver, etc …). Indeed, 2.5% of the respondents had

0
brutality
- abuses
Insultes/injures

Gifles, frappes

Menace à l’aide

rapports sexuels
de mort

outil,
resolver)

la force
experienced this one to three times, while 2.5% were
des
sexual
à son encontre
intimidation
slaps or other

physiques

arme
ou autres
brutalités

about death

strenghth
weapons
Proféré des

avec elle
revolve
intimidation

haveavoir
(couteau,

relations.
physical

withd’une
Insults

menaces

utilisé
(knife,

topour
subjected to it 4 to 10 times.
use

8. 6% of the respondents declared that their hus-

bands/spouses had attempted to strangle or kill them.

Table 3 and graph 16 above reflect the following Indeed, 3% of the respondents suffered this one to three

realities: times while 3% were subjected to it 4 to 10 times.

1. 49% of the respondents stated that their husbands/ 9. 31% of the respondents declared that their hus-

spouses insulted/abused them. Indeed, 23% of the women bands/spouses had recourse to the use of force to have

surveyed had experienced abuse once to three times, while sexual intercourses with them. Indeed, 13% of the women

26% of them had undergone it 4 to 10 times. surveyed underwent it once to three times, while 18% suf-

2. 20% of the respondents reported that their fered it 4 to 10 times.

husbands/spouses threw objects at them, knocked them 10. 15% of the respondents declared that their hus-

down or brutally grabbed them. Indeed, 11% of the bands/spouses imposed sexual acts which they did not

respondents suffered this one to three times while 9% of the want. Indeed, 9% of the respondents experienced this one
women experienced it 4 to 10 times. to three times while 6% suffered it 4 to 10 times.

3. 26% of the respondents reported that their hus-

bands/spouses slapped them, beat them or inflicted other

physical brutalities on them.

4. 17% of the respondents declared that their hus-

bands/spouses ordered them not to go back home, confined

them at home or sent them away, or ordered them out of the

car and abandoned them on the roadside. Indeed, 10.1% of

the survivors experienced this one to three times while 6.7%
suffered it 4 to 10 times.
5. 9% of the respondents declared that their hus-

bands/spouses threatened that they would commit suicide.

Indeed, 5.4% of the women surveyed had experienced this

from one to three times while 3.4% had been subjected to

this threat 4 to 10 times.

30
 Figure 16 Summary of the abuses and assaults endured within the marriage relationship.
Types of violence undorgone by the investigated 12 moths before the investigation.
Types d'agressions subie par les enquetees au cours des 12 derniers mois precedant l'enquete

other unwilling
Autre sexualitésexuality
contrainte 13.2

forced sexual
Rapport relation
sexuel forcé 29.7

attempt
Tentative of
desuicide
meurtre 4.1

threat avec
Menace with arme
arm 3.1

threat
Menaceofdedeath
mort 11.4

threat to comit
Menace de sesuicide
suicide 7.7

isolation,mise
Enfermement, chasef, abandenment,
a la porte, abandon suroutside
la route 15.9

coup
Coups 25.6

Lancement throwing of stuff

objet, empoignade 17.7

Insultes,insults
injures 45

violence
Violenceon
surkids or ou
enfant forced separation
séparation forcée 10.6

threat on sur
Menace children
enfant 13

forbid on access
Empecher onamoney
l'acces l'argent 31

refusal
Lui refusertodespeak
parler 29.4

denigrate
Denigrer in public
devant autrui 20.7

critisism of opinion
Critiquer les opinions 38.6

behaviour
Imposer imposition
les comportements 24

physical appearance
Critiquer l'apparencecriticism
physique 19.5

hairstyle,
Critiquer coiffure. cloths
habillement 13.7

undur estimation
Dévaloriser of dids
ce qu'on fait 31.9

forbidness of social
Empêcher les relationsrelations
sociales 21.4

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

The graph above illustrates that the women surveyed were subjected to various abuses and assaults by their husbands
or spouses. About 43% of them were forced to have sexual intercourse, 45% were insulted or abused, and about 39% had
their opinions criticised.

Other types of assaults inflicted on the women surveyed , namely the beatings (26%), the denial of access to financial

resources (31%), criticisms of their opinions (39%), and despising of whatever they do.

5.1.4
Abuses experienced by women within in the family environment
and neighbourhood

INSULTS OR ABUSES
About 28% of the women surveyed declared that they had suffered from insults or abuses from relative or the other. In-
deed, 16% of them had suffered one or three times from this, while about 12% had endured it 4 to 10 times.

These insults or abuses were uttered by sons in the case of 9.1% of the respondents, by brothers (14%) and by mothers-
in-laws, daughters-in-law, mothers or other relatives (41%).

31
Figure 18 Insults and abuses inflicted by Out of 1056 subjects of the survey, 58 respondents (I.e.,

relatives 5.5%) declared that one or the other of the relatives had

touched them sexual touching, forced them to undress or

Insults and abuses suffered from relatives tried to have sexual intercourse by force with them against

10 9 their will. 7 of them (that is, 12%), had experienced sexual

9
8 touching or undressing, 21 respondents (that is 36%) had
Percentage

7 7
7
Pourcentage

6 suffered forced sexual intercourse, while for 29 (that is 50%)

5
5
4 respondents, had suffered an attempt to force them to have
3
2 sexual intercourse. These abuses were mainly perpetrated
1
0
1time
1 fois 2or 3 2times
ou 3 fois between
Entre 44 et
and1010 times more
fois Plus than
de 1010fois
times by superiors at the workplace (17% of the subjects of the
survey) and other men from the environment of the women

surveyed (31%).
SLAPS, BLOWS OR OTHER PHYSICAL AS-
SAULTS (N=1056) Figure 20 Sexually abusive Touching,

About 10% of the women surveyed asserted that they had attempted Rape, and forced inter

been slapped, beaten or undergone battering. Indeed, 7% course Experienced

of them had experienced this kind of assault one to three

Attempt to forced
Attouchements, sexual
tentatives relations
de rapports et rapports sexuels
times, while 3% had suffered them 4 to 10 times. forces

60 50
Percentage

50
Pourcentage

36
40
Figure 19 Slaps, blows or other types of 30
20 12
physical brutality suffered by wom- 10
0
Touching or undressingsou des attempt
Des attouchements to forced
Tentative sexual relations
de rapport forcé forced sexual
Rapports relations
sexuels forces
en déshabillages
Slaps, blows or other types of physical brutality
suffered by women Touching or undressings attempt
to forced sexual relations

Graph 20 below illustrates that 48% of the survivors had

10
9
8 suffered abuses once, 36% 2 or 3 times, while about 14%
Pourcentage

7
Percentage

6 5.4 experienced it between 4 and more than 10 times.

5
4
3 2
2 0.8
1.4 Figure 21 Number of times the survivors
1
0
1time 2or 3 times between
experienced abuses
1 fois 2 ou 3 fois Entre 4 4etand
1010 times
Plus more
de 10than 10
fois
times
fois
Number
Nombreofde
times
foissurvivors underwent these
que les survivantes violences
ont subies
ces violences

60
48.3
Most of the time, blows and other physical brutalities 50
Pourcentage

36.2
Percentage

40

were 30
20 10.3
10 3.4
perpetrated by the women surveyed ’s bosses or fathers 0
1time
1 fois 2or23ou
times
3 fois between
Entre 44 and 10 timesPlus
et 10 moredethan
1010
fois
times
(for about 23% of them), brothers (18.2%), mothers-in-law, fois

daughters-in-law, mothers or other relatives (25%).

5.1.5 Reactions and actions survivors
SEXUAL TOUCHING OR UNDRESSINGS/ resort to in cases of abuse
ATTEMPT TO HAVE FORCED SEXUAL
INTERCOURSE (N=1056) TYPES OF ABUSES WHICH MOST AFFECTED
THE SURVIVORS (N=1056)
32
Among the incidents related to the known abuses, 15% Table 4 Types of abusers

of the subjects of the survey were mainly affected by the Total 376 100
A stranger 58 15.4
abuses perpetrated within the family set-up, 12% by the
Your husband 151 40.2

abuses experienced within the marriage, and 8% by abuses One casual male or female partner, your son or the son of your spouse 6 1.6
Your father 10 2.7
perpetrated in a public space. Your son 2 0.5
Your father-in-law, spouse of your mother 6 1.6
Your son-in-law 0 0
Your brother 14 3.7
DURATION OF THE ACTS OF
Your brother-in-law 20 5.3
VIOLENCE (N =376) Another man from your relatives (including your father-in-law) 15 4
Male neighbours 70 18.6
For most of the subjects of the survey (64%), the last ND (Non Declared) 24 6.4

assaults were perpetrated less than 12 months before, while

for 18% of them, these acts took place some days before the USE OF ALCOHOL (N=376)
exercise and for 16% one year and more before. Out of 376 reported cases of assaults, in 22% of the cases,
the abusers had consumed alcohol against 72% who had
CONTINUATION OF THE ACTS OF not taken alcohol to commit the assault.
VIOLENCE (N=376)
For 31% of the survivors of abuse, the acts in question THE SURVIVOR’S REACTION AGAINST THE
stopped; 21% think that such acts can recur, while for 40% ASSAULT (N=376)
these acts are still being perpetrated. The analysis of the frequency of responses reveals that the

survivors of abuse reacted differently to the abuser: 26%

Figure 22 Persistence of the acts of of the subjects of the survey tried to dissuade the abuser,
abuse 21% burst into tears,18% ran away and managed to escape,

Continuity
Persistence of the actsof
ofviolence
abuse actions 8.5% beat the abuser, 8% struggled, and 1.9% insulted the

abuser.
60
50 40
Percentage
Pourcentage

40 31 Table 5 Reaction of the survivor against the abuser

30 21
20
8
10
0
stopped Total 376 100
Se sont arrêtésstopped
Se sontbut may
arrêtés Secarried on
poursuivent NSP
NSP
restart
mais pourraient currently
actuellement You tried to discuss with him, tried to dissuade your abuser 99 26.3
se reproduire
You burst into tears 79 21
You struggled 30 8
You ran away, you escaped 67 17.8

TYPES OF SEXUAL ABUSER (N=376) You screamed and called for help 40 10.6
You insulted, threatened him 7 1.9
As illustrated in the table below, in 40% of the cases, the You beat him 32 8.5
assaults are perpetrated by the husband, in 18.6% of the ND 22 5.9

cases by male relatives, for 15% by a stranger to the sur- DECISION TO DO SOMETHING (N=376)
vivor, for 5.3% of the women it is a brother-in-law of the 55% of the subjects of the survey decided to do nothing,
survivor, for 3.7% a brother of the survivor, for 2.7% the sur- against 36% cases who were unable to do anything.
vivor’s father, and for 1.6% by her mother’s spouse.

SURVIVORS WHO WERE ACCOMPANIED AT

THE TIME OF THE ASSAULT (N=376)

33
 Table 6 Consultation of a physician and
31% of the survivors were accompanied at the time of the quality of reception (n=36)
assault, as opposed to 63% who were not.
Total 36 100
Very good 13 36.1
THE SURVIVOR REPORTED THE INCIDENT TO
Good 23 63.9
SOMEONE (N=376)
38% of the survivors immediately reported the incident to
RECOURSE TO THE POLICE AND QUALITY OF
someone, 20% reported to someone several days/months
RECEPTION (N=39)
after the occurrence, while 36% did not talk about it.
About 18% of the survivors (that is 39 of the survivors) went
to the police. Among these, 7.2% went by themselves
TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT (N=376)
compared to 3.7% who did it through another person; about
73% did not stop working following the assault against 18%
7% did not record a statement about it. Among those who
who stopped working (immediately, within hours after the
approached the police, 13% were very well received, 5.8%
incident or later on, after some days or months), as opposed
badly received, and 2.9% were very badly received.
to 2% who are not involved in formal work.

LODGING OF A COMPLAINT AND

SEEKING SUPPORT/ASSISTANCE (N=376)
RECEPTION (N=67)
Only 8% of the survivors sought assistance. 5.6% of these
15% of the survivors lodged a complaint in person, com-
women did it by themselves and 2.4% through somebody
pared to 3% who did it through another person. Among
else.
them, 71% declared that they were very well received (18%)
and well received (53%) against 6.3% who were badly or
Figure 23 Seeking support after the assault
very badly received.

10
9
8
8
ISSUANCE OF A FORMAL ACKNOWLEDGE-
7
6
5.6 MENT OF THE COMPLAINT AND FOLLOW-UP
5
4 OF THE SAME
3 2.4
2 30% of the survivors received a formal acknowledgement
1
0 for initiating a complaint, compared to 46% who did not
seek for assistance
Cherche assistance by elle-meme
Par her self otherpersonne
Autre people
receive one. Among the latter, 13% had a legal settlement
as opposed to 76% who did not.. 11% of the respondents
CONSULTATION OF A LAWYER (N=376)
did not make any comment.
Only 16% of the abuse survivors consulted a lawyer, 14% of
them by themselves and 2% through another person. CRIMINAL CONVICTION OF THE CULPRIT
FOLLOWING A COMPLAINT
CONSULTATION OF A PHYSICIAN AND In 15 cases (30%), no conviction of the culprit occurred,
RECEPTION QUALITY (N=36) in 33 cases (66%); there was a conviction while in 2 cases
The table below illustrates that 10% of the respondents (n (4%) the trial is ongoing.
= 36) among the abuse survivors consulted a physician.
Among these 36% were very well received as opposed to PARTY IN A CIVIL SUIT
64% who were well received. Only 20.2% (76 cases) became parties in a civil suit.

34
 REFERENCE TO LEGAL MEDIATION to have to have one but about 11% (n: 40) preferred to re-

FOLLOWING A COMPLAINT main silent about this.

About 8% of the survivors were referred to a legal

mediation following a complaint. SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES (N=376)
4.5% (17 cases) reported that they had been infected with

FINANCIAL SUPPORT sexually transmitted diseases.

Only 4.3% (16 cases) obtained financial support and for

about 2% (7 cases), of the survivors, the request was still 5.2 RESULTS OF THE FOCUS GROUP
awaiting action at the time of the survey. DISCUSSIONS AND INTERVIEWS

SURVIVORS’ ATTITUDES FOLLOWING THE Concerning the household survey, the FGD were organized
SEXUAL ABUSES in the same districts. The target groups comprised men,
Out of 376 respondents, about 30% of the survivors (111 women, young girls, and young boys selected and grouped
cases) are afraid of going outside or of visiting some according to the criteria of age, sex, membership of an
people, 12% of the survivors decided to move afte’ the association (CNF, AVEGA, etc …) and profession.
assault, while 31% declared that they had modified their

living habits (travel, outings, tighter house security). Interviews with key informants were also carried out. The

informants were selected from among various institutions

ANONYMITY OF THE SURVIVORS OF ABUSE (National Police, Health Facilities) and civil society
About 31% (115 cases) preferred to provide the information organizations (ARCT-Ruhuka) involved in the fight against
anonymously for their own security. SGBV.

The topics for discussions revolved around the types of

5.1.6 Consequences of the abuses abuses, their causes, consequences as well as prevention
on the survivors strategies and the control of SGBV.

PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS (N=376) 5.2.1 Types of abuses

About 37% (n =139) of the survivors reported that they had

developed psychological disorders requiring psychological The types of abuses most frequently mentioned were:

counselling after the acts of sexual violence. A) By the women’s and girls’ groups

o Insults and beatings by husbands,

PERMANENTLY IMPAIRED SEXUALITY o Sexual abuses meted out on children, young girls,

Out of 376 respondents, about 26% of the survivors (n: 98) and women by relatives,

have had their sexuality permanently impaired following o Threats against women who had given birth to

the abuses. girls only,

o Eviction of women who are not legally married,

PREGNANT SURVIVORS o Polygamy.

Out of 376 respondents, about 9% (33 cases) became

pregnant. B) By the men and young men groups
o Forced marriages (Guterura in Kinyarwanda),

ABORTION (N=376) o Forced re-marriage of a widow to the husband’s

Nobody declared that they had had an abortion or planned brother,

35
o Considering women as housemaids,

o Considering the dowry as a purchase price, o The excessive trust that parents place on their

domestic staff and persons employed to look after

C) By key informants (types of abuses apart from those cattle.

mentioned above) o Consumption of drugs and alcohol.

o Husbands’ refusal to feed their families,

o Mothers throwing their daughters of the house 5.2.3

Consequences of the abuse
when the former want to re-marry,

o Housemaids beaten by their employers, either The consequences of the abuse that emerged from the FGD

the man or the lady of the house, and interviews with key informants are as follows:
o Women and girls raped by HIV-positive relatives, o The physical and psychological trauma,

o Threats made to prostitutes by their clients who o The lack of appetite,

are un able to pay for services. o Depression,

o Insomnia,

5.2.2 Causes of the abuse o Abuse of alcohol and drugs,

o Pregnancy,
The causes of gender-based violence mentioned are: o AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.
A) By the women and young girls groups
o Ignorance, by the women, about the laws that The FDGs involving men and young men also recognized
protect them that married men are the group that is most culpable of
o Illegal marriages, abusing women and girls. In this regard, the majority of
o As a consequence of the 1994 genocide, those the abuses th at are being reported to the Police, the prosecutor’s office, and to author-
who committed rapes have not stopped ities at the grassroots level are mostly abuses perpetrated
committing the offence, against children. The abuses occurring within marital situ-
o Culture that continues to be a hindrance to the ations are rarely reported; this fact was also emphasised by
development of women, the FGDs composed of women and girls.
o Poverty as a source of conflict,

o Narrow and poor housing leading to a lack of

privacy. 5.3 Recommendations

B) By the men and young men groups A) The FGDs involving women and girls recommend:

o Sorcery: raping young girls and children as a way - That women and girls be sensitised and trained

of getting ‘cured’ of AIDS about their rights,

o Young girls wearing skimpy clothes as an - That young girls and women be organised into

incitement to rape. groups to fight against the gender-based violence,

- That the survivors of sexual violence be provided

C) By the key informants with financial support and psychological

o The differences in income between husbands and rehabilitation services.

wives (especially when the wife’s income is

higher),

36
B) As for the men’s groups, they recommend: Given the profile of the respondents, who are mainly

- That couples legalise their marriages farmers, young, married, and living in a marital union,

- That women break the silence around the abuses whose level of education is basic and are ignorant of their

perpetrated against them. human rights as well as incapable of lodging a complaint

at the courts, the only option open to them is to keep

C) The key informants recommend: quiet and to refrain form exposing family secrets because,

- The strengthening of the cooperation between according to tradition, «that is how families are built, one

local authorities and faith-based organizations must not destroy one’s household ». This means that,

in the prevention and control of gender-based according to tradition, one must keep the secret even if it

violence, is prejudicial to the woman.

- The establishment of a network for cooperation

between local authorities, the community, and the From the women’s profile, in comparison to that of their

police in fighting against SGBV, spouses, it is evident that women have less access than

- Capacity building for the committees of the men to the economic resources that would make it possible

«Community Policing» unit on issues of SGBV for them to demand justice in cases of sexual violence.

prevention, control, investigation, and care of

survivors, Taking into account the different settings (public space,

- The sensitization of men against polygamy, marital situation, family and relatives) of the survey, the

- The intensification of community mobilization abuses and assaults experienced by the respondents are

campaigns to fight against the abuse of alcohol seemingly more pronounced within the marriage as

and drugs. compared to the other life situations.

5.4
DISCUSSION OF THE RESULTS Indeed, the study reveals that the prevalence of sexual

abuse (sexual touching, indecent exposure, attempted and

it should be noted that, following the results obtained from forced sexual intercourse) is high. For 31% of the

our research, the definition of sexual violence given by the respondents, it was observed that their husbands/spouses

women who undergo it revolves more around the forced sexual acts they did wish to engage in on them.

physical dimension of the problem. This is therefore why

the physical, psychological, and sexual abuses are accept- It is therefore important to note that assaults were

ed by women as if these acts of violence were part of men’s perpetrated by the husbands in 40% of the cases, close male

prerogatives. This is due to the socialization process that relatives accounted for 18.6% of the assaults, 15% were

considers men as superior, stronger and more dominant perpetrated by strangers, while 5.3% were by a brother-in-

compared to women. law of the survivor, 3.7% by a brother of the survivor, 2.7%
by the father of the survivor, and 1.6% by the spouse of the

On the other hand, to explain the conjugal violence, women mother.

victims generally tend to refer to the role played by alcohol

and its impacts, as well as that played by disease. These However, apart from the physical abuses (verbal insults,

women therefore seem to analyze the phenomenon through thefts and other physical brutalities) inflicted on girls and

some partner’s individual characteristics. There is no at- women in the public space, sexual abuses are also

tempt to challenge the society or the family system. significant. As a matter of fact, the attempt to force a

37
woman to engage in sexual intercourse was considered
to be the most serious form of violence by the majority of The control measures (demanding to know with whom and
the survivors (39%), followed by forced sexual intercourse where one has been, preventing women from meeting or
(31%). speaking to friends or to a family member, dictating mode

of dress, how to wear ones hair or how to behave in public)

We also have to admit that, in view of the collected data, as well as the contemptuous attitudes are all important and
the police, health and legal services do not encourage shed light on the types of abuses perpetrated particularly
people to report that aspect of conjugal violence. They do within the marriage situation and by members of the
not provide an appropriate audience to the victims and the extended family. The survey reveals that the survivors’
plaintiffs do not feel adequately served.. reactions and means of recourse are hindered by social
control, the negative perception of the divorced woman,
One of the great lessons drawn from the survey was the the slow pace at which the legal machinery moves, the cost
revelation of the magnitude of the silence and the cover-up of deliberations, the uncertainty of the penal decision, the
of the abuses by the women who experienced them as well difficult task of providing evidence, the lack of penal
as the reality of the phenomenon, all of which are missing guarantees (reception and implementation of the
from the official statistics system. The research unveiled judgement), the lack of reception structures all contribute
the mask that covered the violence meted out on women: to keeping the women silent about their sufferings and the
a great number of the subjects of the survey spoke for the abuses that they suffer..
first time, when they were questioned, about the abuse or

limitations they had experienced during the twelve months

prior to the survey or since their childhood.

6 GENERAL CONCLUSION AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1 General conclusion

The survey proved that most of the abuses perpetrated on

women occur more within the marital situation than in any
other life setting analysed in the survey. It is also within

the marriage that most of the abuses are perpetrated, i.e.

most of the physical abuses, blows or attempts of murder

are mainly the preserve of spouses.

The survivors of the sexual abuses (forced sexual acts and
attempts at forced sexual intercourse) spoke about these

experiences for the first time during the survey.

The survey shows an undeniable level of awareness of the

abuses on the part of the women. Women no longer auto-
matically keep silent..

38
6.2 Recommendations

The exploratory phase of the baseline survey is of considerable interest since it opens the door to the discovery of
important factors, existing variables. This first level of the research provides a motivation and possibilities for going fur-

ther, digging deeper into some aspects of the violence which are still unknown or not properly
understood. That is why we recommend the organization of a national specific survey in order to ascertain the validity

of the existing factors, to establish the relationships that unify these variables and allow for a more advanced diagnosis
in order to provide explanations.

It is critical to promote capacity building on the prevention and control of the abuses perpetrated on women in all the
sectors concerned, i.e. the social, medical, legal or police institutions that are directly or indirectly involved with the

women who are victims of sexual violence.

39
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Articles and books

1. AFRICAN RIGHTS (2004),

Rwanda, broken bodies, torn spirits, living with Genocide, Rape and HIV-AIDS, London.
2. AFRICAN RIGHTS (1995),
Rwanda: Death, Despair and Defiance, London.
Chapter 10, Rape and the Abduction of Women and Girls.
3. AFRICAN RIGHTS (1995),
Rwanda Not So Innocent.
When Women Become Killers. London.
4. AVEGA-AGAHOZO (1999),
Survey on Violence against Women in Rwanda, Avega, Kigali.
5. BIZIMANA ALPHONSE (2005),
Projet de présentation des résultats de recherche sur la violence faite aux enfants de la rue au
Rwanda : « cas de la ville de Kigali », Kigali.
6. CLAUDIA MITCHELL ET PATRICK KANYANGARA (2005),
Violence contre les enfants dans le système scolaire au Rwanda,
« a travers les yeux des enfants et des jeunes, Kigali.
7. DE JONGE, KLAAS (2002),
Interim Report on Research on Gacaca Jurisdictions and its Preparations,
Penal Reform International.
8. GORDON, PETER AND KATE CREHAN (1998),
“Dying of Sadness: Gender, Sexual Violence, and the HIV Epidemic, UNDP.
9. GLOBAL AIDS ALLIANCE (2006),
Zero tolerance, Stop the violence against Women and Children.
Stop HIV-AIDS. HAGURUKA (2001), La Femme Rwandaise et L’accès a la Justice, Kigali.
10. HAGURUKA (2002),
Résultats de l’enquête sur les cas de viol et d’attentat a la
pudeur commis sur les femmes et les enfants de 1995 a 2002, Kigali.
11. HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (2004),
Struggling to survive : Barriers to Justice for
Rape Victims in Rwanda, Human Rights Watch, New York.

40
12. KRUG ET AL. (2002), WHO’s
World report on Violence and Health, Geneva
13. LIPRODHOR (2000),
Résultats de l’enquête pilote sur les actes de viol et les violences faites aux jeunes filles et
aux femmes, Kigali.
14. MIGEPOF & IRC & USAID (2004),
La violence contre les femmes, Kigali.
15. MIGEPROF (2004),
Politique Nationale du Genre, Kigali.
16. MIGEPROF (2005),
UN study on Violence against Children, UNICEF, Kigali.
17. MIGEPROF (2007),
Stratégie de mise en Oeuvre de la Politique Nationale du Genre, Kigali
18. MINISANTE (1997),
Prise en Charge des Problèmes de Santé des Femmes Victimes de Violence,
World Health Organization, Kigali.
19. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STATISTICS OF RWANDA (2007),
2005 Demographic and Health survey: Key findings, Kigali.
20. NEWBURY, CATHERINE AND HANNAH BALDWIN (2000),
Aftermath: Women in Post genocide, Rwanda, USAID Working Paper.
21. NOWROJEE, BINAIFER (1996),
Shattered Lives: Sexual Violence During the Rwandan Genocide and its Aftermath,
Human Rights Watch.
22. OMS (2002),
Rapport Mondial sur la Violence et la Santé, Genève.
23. SCHOTSMANS, MARTIEN (2000),
Le droit à la réparation des victimes de violences sexuelles pendant le génocide:
analyse de l’état actuel,” ASF.
24. SWAA-RWANDA (2001),
Etude sur la Santé de la Reproduction et les Droits de la Femme Rwandaise, Kigali.
25. UNDP (2007),
Gender Mainstreaming Strategy and Plan of Action (2007-2012), Kigali.
26. UNFPA (2002),
Etude Sur Les Croyances, Les Attitudes et Les Pratiques Socio-Culturelles
en Rapport Avec Le Genre Au Rwanda, Kigali.

41
26. UNFPA (2002),
Etude Sur Les Croyances, Les Attitudes et Les Pratiques Socio-Culturelles en Rapport
Avec Le Genre Au Rwanda, Kigali.
27. UNFPA (2002),
Etudes Sur Les Croyances, Les Attitudes et Les Pratiques Socio Culturelles en Rapport Avec le
Genre au Rwanda, Kigali.
28. UNFPA (2006),
Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls in War and Its Aftermath:
Realities, Responses and Required Resources, A Briefing Paper Prepared for the Symposium
on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Beyond, Brussels.
29. USAID & UNICEF (2006),
Strategy for Prevention of and Response to Gender-Based Violence in Eastern, Southern and
Central Africa.

Websites
30. http://www.un.org
31. http://www.svri.org
32. http://www.haguruka.org.rw
33. http://www.resilience.netfirms.com, Josse Evelyne (2006), Les violences sexuelles:
Définitions d’un concept multiforme
34. http://www.resilience.netfirms.com, Josse Evelyne (2007),
Les violences sexospécifiques à l’égard des enfants
35. http://www.who.int
36. http://www.police.gov.rw
37. http://www.rwandaparliament.gov.rw
38. http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/fgm/

42

A n n e x A Household Questionnaire

SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS

Questions in Kinyarwanda Modalities en in Questions in English Answers in English

Kinyarwanda
Q01 Ubu, ufite imyaka ingahe How old are you?
y’amavuko?
Q02 Wigeze ugera mu ishuli 1. Yego Have you attended school? 1. Yes
2. Oya 2. No

Q03 Ni ikihe cyiciro cy’amashuri 0. Ntacyo What level of education have you completed 0. None
warangije? 1. Abanza successfully? 1. Primary
2. Ayingoboka 2. Vocational training
3. Ayisumbuye 3. General secondary
4. Kaminuza education
4. Higher education
Q04 Uzi gusoma no kwandika? 1. Gusoma no Can you read and write? 1. Read and write
kwandika 2. Only read
2. Gusoma gusa 3. None
3. Nta nakimwe azi
Q05 Muri iki gihe uri ingaragu, urubatse, 1. Ingaragu What is your current legal marital status? 1. Single
warahukanye, watandukanye n’ 2. Arubatse 2. Married
uwo mwashakanye cg uri 3. Baratandukanye 3. Divorced
umupfakazi 4. Yarahukanye 4. Separated
5. Umupfakazi 5. Widow

Q06 Muri iki gihe ukora iki What is your occupation?

(umwuga ukubeshejeho)?
Q07 Ufite umugabo mwashakanye cg 1. Yego, umugabo At the moment are you living withiin a marriage 1. Yes, with your
uwo mubana nk’ aho mwashakanye mwashakanye ; relationship, whether you are living together or not? husband
n’ ubwo ubu mwaba mutabana? 2. Yego, inshuti (That is, a regular affective or sexual relationship) 2. Yes, with a friend or
Ni ukuvuga uwo mukundana cyane mwibanira ; companion;
cg uwo mugirana imibonano mpuza 3. Yego, uwo mukorana 3. Yes, with several
bitsina kenshi. imibonano mpuza partners ;
bitsina ; 4. No, but you have
4. Oya, ariko wigeze already lived in a
kubana n’ umugabo; marital relationship;
5. Oya, ntiwigeze ubana 5. No, you have never
n’ umugabo lived in a marital
relationship

Q08 Hashize igihe kingana iki uretse 1. Iminsi |__|__| How long ago did you end the last relationship? 1. Days |__|__|
kubana n’ umugabo? 2. Amezi |__|__| 2. Months |__|__|
3. Imyaka |__|__| 3. Years |__|__|

Q09 Umugabo muheruka kubana 1. Iminsi |__|__| How long did it last? 1. Days |__|__|
mwamaranye igihe kingana iki? 2. Amezi |__|__| 2. Months |__|__|
3. Imyaka |__|__| 3. Years |__|__|

Q10 Umugabo mubana /mukorana 1. Iminsi |__|__| For how long has your marital relationship 1. Days |__|__|
imibonano mpuzabitsina muri iki gihe 2. Amezi |__|__| been in exixtence? 2. Months |__|__|
mumaranye igihe kingana iki 3. Imyaka |__|__| 3. Years |__|__|

Q11 Mubana /mwabanaga mu inzu 1. Yego Do you or did you live in the same house? 1. Yes
imwe? 2. Oya 2. No
Q12 Ni ikihe cyiciro cy’ amashuri (uwo 1. Ntacyo What is the level of education successfully 1. None
mubana, uwo mwabanaga, uwo 2. Abanza completed by your (ex)- spouse? 2. Primary education

43
 Q13 Niba hari ubwumvikane bucye mwigeze 1. Oya In the course of the last 12 months, during 1. No
mugirana n’ umugabo wawe muri aya 2. Ni umugore disputes, did you or your spouse come to blows; 2. Only you
mezi 12 ashize hari uwigeze akubita undi, wabikoze gusa did you throw or break objects? 3. Only your spouse
amutera ikintu cg amena ibikoresha byo 3. Ni umugabo 4. Both
munzu ? wabikoze gusa
4. Babikoze bombi
Q14 Muri aya mezi 12 ashize 1. Umugabo wawe; In the course of the last 12 months, have you 1. From your spouse
wigeze uhura n’ ibibazo ubitewe n’ abantu 2. Umwe mu bana been confronted with alcoholism from one of 2. From one of your
bo mumuryango wawe kubera ubusinzi? bawe; your relatives? children
3. Umwe 3. From one of your
mubabyeyi relatives
bawe; 4. From other people
4. Abandi Bantu; 5. From your spouse or
5. Umugabo wawe your children
hamwe n’ abana 6. From your spouse
banyu; and from other
6. Umugabo wawe people including
hamwe n’ abandi close relatives)
Bantu(harimo n’ 7. From your children
ababyeyi); and other people
7. Abana bawe 8. From your spouse,
hamwe n’ abandi your children and
Bantu; other people
8. Umugabo, abana 9. No problem
hamwe n’ abandi
Bantu;
9. Ntakibazo nagize

Q15 Muri aya mezi 12 ashize wigeze uhura n’ 1. Umugabo wawe; In the course of the last 12 months, did you 1. From your spouse
ibibazo ubitewe n’ abantu bo mu 2. Umwe mu bana encounter any problem related to drug abuse 2. From one of your
muryango wawe kubera ko banyoye bawe; from one of your relatives? children
ibiyobyabwenge ? 3. Umwe 3. From one of your
mubabyeyi close relatives
bawe; 4. From other people
4. Abandi Bantu 5. By your spouse and
5. Umugabo wawe children
hamwe n’ abana 6. From your spouse
banyu; and other people
6. Umugabo wawe (including relatives
hamwe n’ abandi of close degree)
Bantu(harimo n’ 7. From your children
ababyeyi); and other people
7. Abana bawe 8. From your spouse,
hamwe n’ abandi children, and other
Bantu; people
8. Umugabo, abana 9. No problem
hamwe n’ abandi
Bantu;
9. Ntakibazo nagize

Q16 Muri uku kwezi gushize wigeze ugenda 1. Yego During the last month, did you go out alone in 1. Yes
wenyine ku mugoroba ugiye aho inshuti 2. Oya the evening to join friends and family members? 2. No
zawe ziri cg abo mu muryango
Q17 Muri uku kwezi gushize wigeze ugenda 1. Yego During the last month, did you go out to watch a 1. Yes
wenyine ku mugoroba ugiye kureba filimi 2. Oya movie or any other show? 2. No

44
Q18 Muri uku kwezi gushize wigeze ugenda 1. Yego During the last month, did you go out alone to a 1. Yes
wenyine ku mugoroba ugiye mu kabari cg 2. Oya bar, a restaurant? 2. No
muri restaurant

Q19 Muri uku kwezi gushize wigeze ugenda 1. Yego During the last month, did you go out alone in 1. Yes
wenyine ku mugoroba ugiye mu nama y’ 2. Oya the evening to attend an association, trade 2. No
ishyirahamwe, y’idini, ya politiki cg iy’ union, political, or sports meeting?
imikino
Q20 Muri uku kwezi gushize wigeze ugenda 1. Yego During the last month, did you go out alone in 1. Yes
wenyine ku mugoroba ntayindi mpamvu 2. Oya the evening without any particular reason (for a 2. No
ikujyanye uretse gutembera? walk)?

Q21 Muri rusange ujya ugira impungenge zo 1. Oya Out of fear, do you generally avoid going out 0. No
kugenda wenyine 2. Yego ku manywa alone? 1. Yes, during the day
3. Yego, nijoro 2. Yes, at night
4. Yego, kumanywa 3. Yes, day and night
na nijoro

Q22 Muri rusange kubera impungenge ugira 0. Oya Out of fear, do you avoid in general using some 0. No
ujya wirinda kunyura mu duhanda, 1. Yego kumanywa streets, visiting some areas? 1. Yes, during the day
utuyira cg uduce tumwe na tumwe ? 2. Yego, nijoro 2. Yes at night
3. Yego, Kumanywa 3. yes, day and night
na nijoro

Q23 Muri rusange kubera impungenge ugira 0. Oya Out of fear, do you generally avoid using public 0. No
ujya wirinda kugenda mu modoka z’ 1. Yego kumanywa transport services? 1. Yes, during the day
abagenzi ? 2. Yego, nijoro 2. Yes, at night
3. Yego, kumanywa 3. Yes, day and night
na nijoro

Q24 Muri rusange kubera impungenge ugira 1. Oya Out of fear, do you generally avoid going to 0. No
ujya wirinda 2. Yego kumanywa areas where there are few people (street, 1. yes, during the day
kujya ahantu hadakunze kugendwa n’ 3. Yego, nijoro parking)? 2. Yes, at night
abantu benshi (uduhanda, ahahagarikwa 4. Yego, Kumanywa 3. Yes, day and night
amamodoka, ......) na nijoro

Q25 Iyo ufite ikibazo kirebana n’ ubuzima 1. Umugabo wawe, When you have a personal problem or a family 1. Your spouse, friend
bwawe bwite hari ubwo ukigeza ku: uwo mukorana problem, do you confide in somebody: 2. Family members
imibonano mpuza 3. Friends or person
bitsina; belonging to a
2. umuryango wawe; religious order
3. Inshuti cyangwa 4. A medical or social
Uwo mu idini; worker
4. Uhugukiwe n’ iby’ 5. Other people
ubuzima cg (including ex-
imibanire y’ abantu; spouse)
5. Abandi Bantu 6. Nobody
(harimo n’ uwahoze
ari umugabo wawe)
6. Ntanumwe

Q26 Muri aya mezi 12 ashize 1. Nta narimwe During the last 12 months, have you ever 0. Never
byigeze bikubaho ko usakuza 2. Si kenshi shouted loudly or hurled insults when you were 1. Seldom
cyane cg utukana kubera 3. Rimwe na rimwe angry? 2. Sometimes
uburakari 4. Kenshi 3. Often

45
 Q27 Muri aya amezi 12 ashize 1. Nta narimwe During the last 12 months, have you slapped, 1. Never
byigeze bikubaho ko ukubita 2. Si kenshi smacked or tapped a child? 2. Seldom
urushyi cg akanyafu umwana 3. Rimwe na rimwe 3. Sometimes
(wo murugo)? 4. Kenshi 4. Often

Q28 Muri aya mezi 12 ashize byigeze 1. Nta narimwe During the last 12 months, have you slapped or 1. Never
bikubaho ko ukubita urushyi cg ikindi 2. Si kenshi beaten an adult? 2. Seldom
kintu umuntu mukuru? 3. Rimwe na rimwe 3. sometimes
4. Kenshi 4. Often

Q29 Hari idini/itorero waba waratojwe mu 1. Ntaryo 1. Were you brought up according to a 1. None
mirererwe yawe? Ni irihe niba rihari? 2. Gatolika certain religion, and if so, which one? 2. Catholic
3. Isilamu 3. Muslim
4. Protesitanti 4. Protestant
5. Adivantisite 5. Adventist
6. Irindi (rivuge) 6. Other religion
(clarify)

Q30 Mu buzima bwawe wumva idini/ itorero 1. Ngombwa cyane Is religion an important part of your life? 1. Very important
ari: 2. Ni ngombwa 2. Important
3. Si ngombwa cyane 3. Not very important
4. Si ngombwa na 4. Not at all important
mba 5. Don’t know
5. Ntabizi

Q31 Tugiye kuganira ku bihe wabayemo mu 1. Yego Have you suffered from material deprivation? 1. Yes
bwana bwawe n’ubwangavu. Wigeze 2. Oya 2. No
wimwa ibintu ukeneye kandi bihari ?
Q32 Mu bwana bwawe n’ubwangavu wigeze 1. Yego During your childhood or teenage years, were 1. Yes
urerwa n’ abandi bantu batari ababyeyi 2. Oya you adopted (legally or not)? 2. No
bawe?
Q33 Mu bwana bwawe n’ubwangavu wigeze 1. Yego During your childhood or teenage years, did 1. Yes
ugirana ibibazo bikomeye n’ ababyeyi 2. Oya you have any serious conflict with your parents 2. No
bawe cg umwe muri bo? or one of your parents?
Q34 Mu bwana bwawe n’ubwangavu wigeze 1. Yego During your childhood and teenage years, did 1. Yes
ubona ubwumvikane bucye cg amahane 2. Oya you notice any serious tensions between your 2. No
hagati y’ ababyeyi bawe? parents or any atmosphere of violence?

Q35 Mubuzima bwawe wigeze wumva: 1. Abagabo ari abantu During your life, have you ever been attracted 1. Only to men
beza gusa; to someone? 2. Mainly to men but
2. Abagabo n’ also to women
abagore ari beza 3. As much to men as
bose ariko cyane to women
abagabo; 4. Mainly to women but
3. Abagabo n’ also to men
abagore bose ari 5. Only to women
beza kimwe; 6. Never to men
4. Abagabo n’ 7. Never to women
abagore ari beza
bose ariko cyane
abagore;
5. Abagore aribo
bantu beza cyane;
6. Abagabo ari babi ;

46
Q36 Wigeze ukora imibonano mpuza bitsina? 1. Yego Have you already had sexual intercourse? 1. Yes
2. Oya 2. No

Q37 Wakoze imibonano mpuzabitsina At what age did you have your first sexual
bwambere nibura ufite imyaka ingahe? encounter?

Q38 Uwo mwakoranye imibonano 1. Muto kuri wowe What was the age of your partner during the 1. Younger than you
mpuzabitsina bwa mbere yanganaga 2. Mwaranganaga first encounter? 2. About the same age
ate? 3. Yarakurutaga as you
4. Yarakurutaga kure 3. Older than you
birenze imyaka 10 4. Much older than you
(a difference of more
than 10 years)

Q39 Iyo mibonano mpuza bitsina yambere: 1. Wifuzaga kuyikora The first sexual encounter was: 1. Something you
icyo gihe longed for at that
2. Ntiwifuzaga time
kuyikora ariko 2. Something you did
warabyemeye not want but which
3. Wahatiwe kuyikora you accepted
utabishaka nabusa 3. Something you were
forced to do against
your will

Q40 Uwo mwakoranye imibonano mpuza 1. Umugabo wawe cg The first partner was: 1. Your spouse or
bitsina bwa mbere yari: uwo mwifuzaga future spouse
kurushinga; 2. Someone you were
2. Undi muntu in love with (other
wakundaga; than the spouse)
3. Umuntu waruzi 3. Someone you knew
ariko utakundaga; but with whom you
4. Umuntu mwari were not in love
muhuriye aho; 4. Someone you had
5. Umuntu just met
waguhonze ngo 5. Someone who paid
mukorane you to make love
imibonano mpuza with you
bitsina; 6. Somebody else,
6. Undi muntu explain.
(musobanure).

47
 MODULE 1: PUBLIC SPACE

N0 Questions in Kinyarwanda Answers in Kinyarwanda Questions in English Answers in English

P1 Muri ayo mezi 12 ashize waba 0. Nta narimwe During the last twelve months, have you been 0. Never
warigeze utukirwa mu muhanda, mu 1. Rimwe insulted in the street, public transport vehicle or 1. Once
nzira, mu modoka y’ abagenzi cg 2. 2 cg 3 public spaces? If yes, how many times? 2. 2 or 3 times
ahandi hantu hahurirwa n’abantu 3. Hagati ya 4 na 10 3. Between 4 and 10
benshi ? Niba ari Yego, byabaye 4. Birenze 10 times
kangahe? 4. More than 10 times

P2 Muri ayo mezi 12 ashize, hari umuntu 1. Yego Did someone persistently follow you on foot, by 1. Yes
wigeze ubona akugendaho cyane 2. Oya car or motorcycle? 2. No
haba ku maguru, mu modoka cg kuri
moto ?
P3 Ubona ugendwaho n’ umuntu 1. Yego Is it always the same person/persons? 1. Yes
(abantu) umwe (bamwe)? 2. Oya 2. No

P4 Yari umuntu (uheruka) uzi? 1. Yego Was it someone (the last person) totally 1. Yes
2. Oya unknown to you? 2. No

P5 Muri ayo mezi 12 ashize waba, 0. Nta narimwe Has anyone ever exhibited his sexual organs to 0. Never
byigeze bibaho ko umuntu 1. Rimwe you or undressed in front of you? If yes, how 1. Once
agaragaza igitsina cye imbere yawe 2. 2 cg 3 many times? 2. 2 or 3 times
cg akambura imyenda umureba 3. Hagati ya 4 na 10 3. 4 and 10 times
agamije kuguhohotera 4. Birenze 10 4. About 10 times

P6 Yari umuntu (uheruka) uzi? 1. Yego Was it someone (the last person) totally 1. Yes
2. Oya unknown to you? 2. No

P7 Muri aya mezi 12 ashize bigeze 0. Nta narimwe During the last twelve months, did someone steal 0. Never
bagushikuza isakoshi, ikindi kintu 1. Rimwe your bag, your wallet, jewellery etc. by force, in 1. Once
utwaye mu ntoki, ibirimbisho 2. 2 cg 3 the streets, public transport vehicles or other 2. 2 or 3 times
(agakufi, amaherena, isaha,…) uri 3. Hagati ya 4 na 10 public space? If yes, how many times? 3. Between 4 and 10
mu muhanda, mu modoka/moto cg 4. Birenze 10 times
ahandi hantu bahurira ? 4. More than 10 times
Niba ari Yego byabaye kangahe?
P8 Muri aya mezi 12 ashize hari umuntu 0. Nta narimwe During the last twelve months, did someone, 0. Never
mwahuriye mu muhanda, mu 1. Rimwe touch your breasts, buttocks, groped you, 1. Once
modoka z’abagenzi cg ahandi hantu 2. 2 cg 3 against your will or cornered you to kiss you in 2. 2 or 3 times
harusange wagukoze ku mabere, ku 3. Hagati ya 4 na 10 the street, public transport vehicle or other public 3. Between 4 and 10
kibuno, akaguhobera cyane cg 4. Birenze 10 spaces? If yes, how many times? times
akagusoma kandi wowe utabishaka? 4. More than 10 times

P9 Ubona ugendwaho n’ umuntu 1. Yego Was it always the same person/persons? 1. Yes
umwe/abantu bamwe ? 2. Oya 2. No
?
P10 Yari umuntu/abantu (uheruka) uzi? 1. Yego Was it someone (the last person) totally 1. Yes
2. Oya unknown to you? 2. No

P11 Muri aya mezi 12 ashize, hari umuntu 1. Yego Did anyone force you to undergo or perform 1. Yes
waba yaragukorakoye ku gitsina ku 2. Oya sexual touching, tried or managed to have sexual 2. No
gahato cg akaguhatira gukorakora intercourse with you against your will?
icye, akagerageza kugukoresha
imibonano mpuzabitsina kandi wowe
utabishaka?

48
P12 Niba ari Yego ibyo byabaye inshuro 1. Rimwe If yes, how many times? 1. Once
zingahe ? 2. 2 cg 3 2. 2 or 3 times
3. Hagati ya 4 na 10 3. Between 4 and 10
4. Birenze 10 times
4. More than 10 times
P13 Ku bwawe ubona yari agamije iki? 1. Gukora ku igitsina What was it? 1. Touching
2. Kugerageza gukora 2. An attempt to force
imibonano sexual intercourse
mpuzabitsina 3. Forced sexual
3. Imibonano intercourse
mpuzabitsina ku
ngufu
P14 Ibyo bikorwa byose byabereye igihe 1. Yego Did these assaults occur simultaneously? 1. Yes
kimwe? 2. Oya 2. No

P15 Niba ari yego, ibyo wabikorewe 1. Rimwe Did someone force you to perform sexual 1. Once
kenshi? 2. 2cg 3 touching? Did this occur several times? 2. 2 or 3 times
3. Hagati ya 4 na 10 3. Between 4 and 10
4. Birenze 10 times
4. More than 10 times
P16 Ibyo bikorwa ubona warabikorewe n’ 1. Yego Was it always the same person/persons? 1. Yes
umuntu umwe/abantu bamwe 2. Oya 2. No

P17 Yari umuntu/abantu utazi na buhoro 1. Yego Was it someone totally unknown to you? 1. Yes
2. Oya 2. No

P18 Yabigenje ate aguhatira ibyo bikorwa 1. Gukangisha cg How were you forced to indulge in such acts? 1. Threat to use or use
? gukoresha imbaraga of physical force
2. Gukangisha cg 2. Threat to use a
gukoresha imbunda weapon such as a
3. Gucecekesha, knife/revolver
kwigamba, gutera 3. Intimidation,
ubwoba abari aho blackmailing, threats
against others

P19 Muri ayo mezi 12 ashize, umuntu 1. Nta narimwe During the last 12 months, did anyone to 0. Never
yagerageje kugukoresha imibonano 2. Rimwe unsuccessfully try to force you to engage in 1. Once
mpuzabitsina kungufu ntiyabigeraho. 3. 2cg 3 sexual intercourse? Did this happen several 2. 2 or 3 times
Ibyo byabaye kenshi ? 4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 times? 3. Between 4 and 10
5. Birenze 10 times
4. More than 10 times

P20 Ubona ugendwaho n’ umuntu 1. Yego Was it always the same person/persons? 1. Yes
umwe/abantu bamwe ? 2. Oya 2. No

P21 Yari umuntu/(uheruka) utazi na 1. Yego Was it a person (or people) totally unknown to 1. Yes
buhoro ? 2. Oya you? 2. No

P22 Mu bikorwa bibi tugiye kuvuga, 1. Watutswe, Among the acts we have just mentioned, for the 1. Insults
mbwira ibyaba byarakubayeho muri 2. Wagenzweho, last twelve months, you have reported that you 2. Being followed
aya mezi 12 ashize ? 3. Wibwe, have experienced: 3. Assault for robbery
4. Weretswe igitsina, 4. Exhibitionism
5. Wakangishijwe cg 5. Threats or attacks
ukoreshwaho intwaro with a weapon
6. Wahohotewe cg 6. Being kissed or
usomwa ku ngufu, groped by force
7. Gukorakora igitsina, 7. Sexual touchings
8. Kugerageza kugufata 8. Attempt of forced
kungufu, sexual intercourse
9. Gukoreshwa 9. Forced sexual
imibonano intercourse
mpuzabitsina ku 10. None
ngufu
10. Ntanakimwe

P23 Kubwawe muri ibyo bikorwa bibi icyo Among these incidents, which one, according to (One possible answer) /____/
ubona gikabije ni ikihe? (Andika you, is the most serious?
igisubizo kimwe gusa)

49
 MODULE 2 : LIFE I N THE MARITAL SITUATION

N0 Questions in Kinyarwanda Answers in Kinyarwanda Questions in English Answers in English

C1 Ese muri aya mezi 12 ashize , 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, has your 1. Never
umugabo wawe/uwo mubana yigeze 2. Si kenshi husband/spouse prevented you from meeting or 2. Seldom
: Akubuza gusura inshuti zawe cg 3. Rimwe na rimwe talking to friends or family members? 3. Sometimes
kuganira n’ abantu bo mu muryango 4. Kenshi 4. Often
wawe ? 5. Buri gihe 5. Systematically

C2 Ese muri aya mezi 12 ashize , 1. Nta na rimwe During the last twelve months, has your 1. Never
umugabo wawe/uwo mubana yigeze 2. Si kenshi husband/spouse prevented you from talking to 2. Seldom
akubuza kuganira n’abandi bagabo 3. Rimwe na rimwe other people (he is jealous)? 3. Sometimes
(arafuha)? 4. Kenshi 4. Often
5. Buri gihe 5. Systematically

C3 Ese muri aya mezi 12 ashize , 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did your 1. Never
umugabo wawe/uwo mubana yigeze 2. Si kenshi husband/spouse criticise, downplay the value of 2. Seldom
agaya cg atesha agaciro ibyo 3. Rimwe na rimwe what you did? 3. Sometimes
wakoze? 4. Kenshi 4. Often
5. Buri gihe 5. Systematically

C4 Ese muri aya mezi 12 ashize, 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did your 1. Never
umugabo wawe/uwo mubana yigeze 2. Si kenshi husband/spouse make unpleasant remarks 2. Seldom
akubwira amagambo akubabaza 3. Rimwe na rimwe about your physical appearance (too big, ugly, 3. Sometimes
yerekeye ku miterere yawe (uri 4. Kenshi etc …)? 4. Often
munini, mubi…) 5. Buri gihe 5. Systematically

C5 Ese muri aya mezi 12 ashize 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did your 1. Never
umugabo wawe/uwo mubana yigeze 2. Si kenshi husband/spouse impose dressing styles, type of 2. Seldom
agutegeka uko wambara usohoka cg 3. Rimwe na rimwe hairstyle on you, or how you were to behave in 3. Sometimes
uko witwara mu bandi? 4. Kenshi public? 4. Often
5. Buri gihe 5. Systematically

C6 Ese muri aya mezi 12 ashize 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did your 1. Never
umugabo wawe/uwo mubana yanze 2. Si kenshi husband/spouse refuse to take your opinions 2. Seldom
kwita cg yasuzuguye ibitekerezo 3. Rimwe na rimwe into consideration, ridicule them or attempted to 3. Sometimes
byawe ashaka kugusobanurira uko 4. Kenshi tell you what you should think (in private)? 4. Often
wagombaga gutekereza 5. Buri gihe 5. Systematically
(mw’ibanga)?
C7 Ese muri aya mezi 12 ashize 1. Nta na rimwe Did not take your opinion into consideration or 1. Never
umugabo wawe/uwo mubana yanze 2. Si kenshi ridiculed your opinions, or attempted to tell you 2. Seldom
kwita cg yasuzuguye ibitekerezo 3. Rimwe na rimwe what you should think (in front of the children)? 3. Sometimes
byawe ashaka ku gusobanurira uko 4. Kenshi 4. Often
wagombaga gutekereza (imbere y’ 5. Buri gihe 5. Systematically
abana) ? 6. Ntibimureba (adafite 6. No children
Ntibimureba adafite abana abana)
C8 Ese muri aya mezi 12 ashize 1. Nta na rimwe Did not take your opinion into consideration, or 1. Never
umugabo wawe/uwo mubana yanze 2. Si kenshi attempted to tell you what you should think (in 2. Seldom
kwita cg yasuzuguye ibitekerezo 3. Rimwe na rimwe front of other people)? 3. Sometimes
byawe ashaka ku gusobanurira uko 4. Kenshi 4. Often
wagombaga gutekereza (imbere 5. Buri gihe 5. Systematically
y’abandi bantu) ?
C9 Muri aya mezi 12 ashize, umugabo 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 years, did your 1. Never
wawe/umugabo mubana yigeze 2. Si kenshi husband /spouse require to know with whom you 2. Seldom
agusaba ku mubwira aho wari uri n’ 3. Rimwe na rimwe were and where? 3. Sometimes
uwo mwari muri kumwe ? 4. Kenshi 4. Often
5. Buri gihe 5. Systematically
C10 Ese muri aya mezi 12 ashize 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did your 1. Never
umugabo wawe/uwo mubana 2. Si kenshi husband/spouse stop talking to you, totally 2. Seldom
yahagaritse ibyo kukuvugisha, yanze 3. Rimwe na rimwe refuse to discuss issues with you? 3. sometimes
ko mucoca ikibazo ? 4. Kenshi 4. Often
5. Buri gihe 5. Systematically
C11 Ese muri aya mezi 12 ashize 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, has your 1. Never
umugabo wawe/uwo mubana yigeze 2. Si kenshi husband/spouse prevented you from having 2. Seldom
akubuza gufata ku mafaranga y’ 3. Rimwe na rimwe access to the household resources for your daily 3. Sometimes
urugo kandi ugomba kugura 4. Kenshi needs? 4. Often
ibikenerwa mu rugo bya buri munsi? 5. Buri gihe 5. Systematically

50
C12 Ese muri aya mezi 12 ashize 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did your 1. Never
umugabo wawe / umugabo mubana 2. Si kenshi husband/spouse threaten to beat your children 2. Seldom
yigeze akubwira ko ashobora 3. Rimwe na rimwe or separate you from them? 3. Sometimes
kumerera nabi abana banyu cg 4. Kenshi 4. Often
akagutandukanya nabo 5. Buri gihe 5. Systematically
6. Ntibimureba (adafite 6. No children
abana)
C13 Ese, muri aya mezi 12 ashize 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did your 1. Never
umugabo wawe / umugabo mubana 2. Si kenshi husband/spouse physically attack your 2. Seldom
yigeze akubita abana cg 3. Rimwe na rimwe children or separate you from them? 3. Sometimes
agutandukanya nabo 4. Kenshi 4. Often
5. Buri gihe 5. Systematically
6. Ntibimureba (adafite 6. No children
abana)
C14 Ese, muri aya mezi 12 ashize 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did your 1. Never
umugabo wawe / umugabo mubana 2. Rimwe husband/spouse insult you or abuse you? If 2. Once
yigeze agutuka? 3. 2cg3 yes, how many times? 3. 2 or 3 times
Niba ari yego yabikoze kangahe ? 4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 4. Between 4 and 10
5. Birenze 10 times
5. More than 10 times

C15 Ese, muri aya mezi 12 ashize 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did your 1. Never
umugabo wawe / umugabo mubana 2. Rimwe husband/spouse throw an object at you, push 2. Once
yigeze agutera ikintu , aguhutaza cg 3. 2cg3 you or brutally grab you? If yes, how many 3. 2 or 3 times
agukamura amaboko? 4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 times? 4. Between 4 and 10
Niba ari yego yabikoze kangahe ? 5. Birenze 10 times
5. More than 10 times
C16 Ese muri aya mezi 12 ashize 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did your 1. Never
umugabo wawe/umugabo mubana 2. Rimwe husband/spouse slap you or inflict other 2. Once
yigeze agukubita urushyi, ikindi kintu 3. 2cg3 physical brutalities on you? If yes, how many 3. 2 or 3 times
cg akakubabaza ku mubiri ku bundi 4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 times? 4. Between 4 and 10
buryo? 5. Birenze 10 times
Niba ari Yego, byabaye kangahe? 5. More than 10 times

51
 C17 Ese, muri aya mezi 12 ashize 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, has your 1. Never
umugabo wawe / umugabo mubana 2. Rimwe husband/spouse prevented you from 2. Once
yigeze akubuza kwinjira mu nzu, 3. 2cg3 going back home, lock you in or out, or 3. 2 or 3 times
agufungirana, agusohora mu nzu cg 4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 in a car, leave you on the roadside? If 4. Between 4 and 10
mu modoka, igare, yigeze aguta ku 5. Birenze 10 yes, how many times? times
muhanda, agusiga n’amaguru? 5. More than 10 times
Niba ari Yego, yabikoze kangahe ?

C18 Ese, muri aya mezi 12 ashize 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did your 1. Never
umugabo wawe / umugabo mubana 2. Rimwe husband/spouse threaten you with 2. Once
yigeze agukangisha ko ashobora 3. 2cg3 suicide? If yes, how many times? 3. 2 or 3 times
kwiyahura? 4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 4. Between 4 and 10
Niba ari yego, yabivuze kangahe? 5. Birenze 10 times
5. More than 10 times
C19 Muri aya mezi 12 ashize umugabo 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did your 1. Never
wawe /umugabo mubana yigeze 2. Rimwe husband/spouse utter death threats 2. Once
akubwira ko ashobora kukwica? 3. 2cg3 against you? If yes, how many times? 3. 2 or 3 times
Niba ari yego ,yabivuze kangahe? 4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 4. Between 4 and 10
5. Birenze 10 times
5. More than 10 times
C20 Ese, muri aya mezi 12 ashize 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did your 1. Never
umugabo wawe / umugabo mubana 2. Rimwe husband/spouse threaten you with a 2. Once
yigeze agutera ubwoba akoresheje 3. 2cg3 weapon (knife, tool, revolver, etc)? If 3. 2 or 3 times
intwaro (icyuma, igikoresho, 4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 yes, how many times? 4. Between 4 and 10
imbunda)? 5. Birenze 10 times
Niba ari yego, yabivuze kangahe? 5. More than 10 times

C21 Ese muri aya mezi 12 ashize, 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did your 1. Never
umugabo wawe/umugabo mubana 2. Rimwe husband/spouse attempt to strangle or 2. Once
yagerageje ku kuniga cg kukwica? 3. 2cg3 kill you? If yes, how many times? 3. 2 or 3 times
Niba ari yego, byabaye kangahe? 4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 4. Between 4 and 10
5. Birenze 10 times
5. More than 10 times
C22 Ese muri aya mezi 12 ashize, 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did your 1. Never
umugabo wawe/umugabo mubana 2. Rimwe husband/spouse use force to have 2. Once
yigeze agukoresha imibonano 3. 2cg3 sexual intercourse with you? If yes, how 3. 2 or 3 times
mpuzabitsina ku ngufu ? 4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 many times? 4. Between 4 and 10
5. Birenze 10 times
5. More than 10 times
C23 Ese muri aya mezi 12 ashize, 1. Nta na rimwe Did he impose sexual acts that you 1. Never
umugabo wawe/umugabo mubana 2. Rimwe refused? If yes, how many times? 2. Once
yaguhatiye imigirire (uburyo) 3. 2cg3 3. 2 or 3 times
mpuzabitsina utigeze wemera? 4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 4. Between 4 and 10
5. Birenze 10 times
5. More than 10 times
C24 Mu bikorwa bibi tugiye kuvuga, 1. Wabujijwe gusabana n’ abandi; Among the incidents we have just 1. Being forbidden to
mbwira ibyaba byarakubayeho muri 2. Ibyo wakoze byateshejwe mentioned and which occurred during have social
aya mezi 12 ashize ? agaciro; the last 12 months, you declared that relationships
3. Imisokoreze n’ imyambarire you have suffered from: 2. Undermining what
yawe bitashimwe; you do
4. Waneguwe uko uteye; 3. Having your
5. Wategetswe uko ugomba hairstyle, clothing
kwitwara; criticised
6. Ibitekerezo byawe byaragawe; 4. Having your
7. Wakojejwe isoni physical

52
C24 Mu bikorwa bibi tugiye kuvuga, 1. Wabujijwe gusabana n’ abandi; Among the incidents we have just 1. Being forbidden to
mbwira ibyaba byarakubayeho muri 2. Ibyo wakoze byateshejwe mentioned and which occurred during have social
aya mezi 12 ashize ? agaciro; the last 12 months, you declared that relationships
3. Imisokoreze n’ imyambarire you have suffered from: 2. Undermining what
yawe bitashimwe; you do
4. Waneguwe uko uteye; 3. Having your
5. Wategetswe uko ugomba hairstyle, clothing
kwitwara; criticised
6. Ibitekerezo byawe byaragawe; 4. Having your
7. Wakojejwe isoni physical
imberey’abandi; appearance
8. Wangiwe kuvuga; criticised
9. Wabujijwe gukora ku 5. Imposed attitudes
mafaranga; 6. Having your
10. Abana batewe ubwoba; opinions criticised
11. Abana barakubiswe cg 7. Being denigrated in
watandukanijwe nabo; front of a third party
12. Waratutswe; 8. Being denied the
13. Watewe ikintu cg wakamuwe right to talk
amaboko; 9. Being denied
14. Warakubiswe; access to money
15. Warakingiranwe, warasohowe 10. Threats against a
cg watawe ku muhanda; child
16. Umugabo wawe yagukangishije 11. Violence against a
kwiyahura; child or forced
17. Wakangishijwe kwicwa; separation
18. Wakangishijwe intwaro; 12. insults, abuses
19. Yagerageje ku kwica; 13. at you objects
20. Yagukoresheje imibonano thrown at you
mpuzabitsina ku ngufu; 14. blows
21. Wakoreshejwe indi migirire 15. confinement, being
mpuzabitsina thrown out of the
22. Ntanakimwe house, left on the
roadside
16. suicide threat
17. death threat
18. Threat with a
weapon
19. Attempted murder
20. Forced sexual
intercourse
21. Other sexual
abuses
22. None
C25 Kubwawe muri ibyo bikorwa bibi icyo Among these incidents, which one is, (One possible answer)
ubona gikabije ni ikihe? (Andika the most serious according to you,? /____/
igisubizo kimwe gusa)

53
 MODULE 3 : FAMILY AND RELATIVES

N0 Questions in Kinyarwanda Modalités in Kinyarwanda Questions in English Answers in English

F1 Muri aya mezi 12 ashize, hari umuntu 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did one of 1. Never
wa hafi mu muryango waba 2. Rimwe your relatives insult or abuse you? If 2. Once
waragututse? 3. 2cg3 yes, how many times? 3. 2 or 3 times
Niba ari yego, yabikoze kangahe? 4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 4. Between 4 and 10
5. Birenze 10 times
5. More than 10 times
F2 Niba F1=2,3,4 1. Yego Is it always the same person/people? 1. Yes
Buri gihe ni umuntu umwe/abantu 2. Oya 2. no
bamwe?
F3 Ni nde/bande? 1. Uwo mukorana imibonano Who was (were) that (those) 1. One casual partner
mpuzabitsina mudasanganwe, person/people? 2. Your father
2. Papa wawe, 3. Your son
3. Umuhungu wawe , 4. Your father-in-law
4. Sobukwe, umugabo wa Nyoko 5. Your son-in-law
utari so, 6. Your brother
5. Umukwe wawe, 7. Your brother-in-law
6. Musaza wawe, 8. Another male
7. Muramu wawe, relative
8. Undi mugabo mufitanye isano 9. A man among the
9. Undi mugabo wa hafi, relatives
10. Abandi bagabo ba hafi. 10. Other men from
11. Nyokobukwe, Nyoko, among the close
Muramukazi wawe, n’abandi relatives
bantu ba hafi. 11. Your mother-in-law,
12. Shobuja / Nyokobuja. daughter-in-law
and other close
relatives
12. Your boss
F4 Muri aya mezi 12 ashize, hari umuntu 1. Nta na rimwe Did one of your relatives slap you or 1. Never
wa hafi wigeze agukubita urushyi, 2. Rimwe inflict other physical brutalities on you? 2. Once
ikindi kintu cg akaguhutaza ku bundi 3. 2cg3 If yes, how many times? 3. 2 or 3 times
buryo? 4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 4. Between 4 and 10
Niba ari yego yabikoze kangahe? 5. Birenze 10 times
5. More than 10 times
F5 Niba F4=2,3,4 1. Yego Is it always the same person/people ? 1. Yes
Buri gihe ni umuntu umwe/abantu 2. Oya 2. No
bamwe?
F6 Ni nde/bande? gutekereza Voir F3 Who was (were) that (these) See F3
(mw’ibanga)? person/people?
F7 Muri aya mezi 12 ashize, Ese hari 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did one of 1. Never
umuntu wa hafi wigeze agukangisha 2. Rimwe your relatives threaten to do harm to 2. Once
kugirira nabi abana bawe cg 3. 2cg3 your children or to separate you from 3. 2 or 3 times
kugutandukanya nabo? 4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 them? 4. Between 4 and 10
Niba ari yego yabikoze kangahe ? 5. Birenze 10 times
If yes, how many times? 5. More than 10 times

F8 Niba F7=2,3,4 1. Yego If yes, how many times? 1. Yes

Buri gihe ni umuntu umwe/abantu 2. Oya 2. No
bamwe
F9 Wasobanurira neza Voir F3 During the last 12 months, did your See F3
uwagukoreye/abagukoreye ibyo? husband/spouse request to know with

54
F10 Muri aya mezi 12 ashize, hari umuntu 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did one of 1. Never
wa hafi wigeze akubuza kugira aho 2. Rimwe your relatives prevent you from going 2. Once
ujya, agukingirana cg uwigeze 3. 2cg3 out or locked you (in your home or in 3. 2 or 3 times
agusohora mu nzu cg akaguta ku 4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 his house), chased you away or, during 4. Between 4 and 10
muhanda mwari mu modoka, moto, 5. Birenze 10 a ride by car, leave you on the times
igare, cg ku maguru? roadside? 5. More than 10 times
Niba ari yego yabikoze kangahe ? If yes, how many times?

F11 Niba F10=2,3,4 1. Yego Was it always the same person/people? 1. Yes
Buri gihe ni umuntu umwe/abantu 2. Oya 2. No
bamwe?
F12 Wansobanurira neza Voir F3 Who was (were) that (those) See F3
uwagukoreye/abagukoreye ibyo? person/people?

F13 Muri aya mezi 12 ashize, hari umuntu 1. Yego Did one of your relatives utter death 1. Yes
wa hafi wigeze akubwira ko ashobora 2. Oya threats against you? 2. No
kukwica ?

Niba ari yego yabikoze kangahe ?

F14 Niba F13=2,3,4 1. Yego Was it always the same person/people? 1. Yes
Buri gihe ni umuntu umwe/abantu 2. Oya 2. No
bamwe

F15 Wasobanurira neza Voir F3 Who was/were the assailant(s)? See F3

uwagukoreye/abagukoreye ibyo?

F16 Muri aya mezi 12 ashize, hari umuntu 1. Nta na rimwe During the last 12 months, did one of 1. Never
wa hafi wigeze agutera ubwoba 2. Rimwe your relatives threaten you with a 2. Once
akoresheje intwaro cg ikindi kintu kibi 3. 2cg3 weapon, or a dangerous tool (knife, 3. 2 or 3 times
(imbunda, icyuma) cg akagerageza 4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 stick, revolver …), attempt to strangle or 4. Between 4 and 10
ku kuniga cg kukwica? 5. Birenze 10 kill you? If yes, how many times? times
5. More than 10 times
Niba ari yego yabikoze kangahe?
Si F16 = 0  F19
F17 Niba F16=2,3,4 1. Yego Was it the same person/people? 1. Yes
Buri gihe ni umuntu umwe/abantu 2. Oya 2. No
bamwe?
F18 Wasobanurira neza Voir F3 Who was/were the assailant(s)? See F3
uwagukoreye/abagukoreye ibyo?

F19 Muri aya mezi 12 ashize, hari umuntu 1. Yego During the last 12 months, did one of 1. Yes
wa hafi wigeze, ku ngufu, agukorera 2. Oya your relatives force you to touch them 2. No
ku gitsina utabishaka, agutegeka sexually or oblige you to undress or
kwiyambura imyenda, ushaka cg attempt or manage to force you to have
ashobora kugukoresha imibonano sexual intercourse with them against
mpuza bitsina ? your will?
Si F19 = 2  F25

55
 F20 Niba ari yego, ibyabaye ni : 1. Gukora ku gitsina cg kwiyambura If yes, what was it? 1. Touchings or
imyenda undressing
2. Kugerageza imibonano ku ngufu 2. An attempt of
3. Gukorana imibonano forced intercourse
mpuzabitsina ku ngufu 3. A forced
intercourse

F21 Ibyo byabaye inshuro nyinshi? 1. Nta na rimwe Did this occur several times, and if yes, 1.Never
Niba ari Yego ni zingahe? 2. Rimwe how many times? 2.Once
3. 2cg3 3.2 or 3 times
4. Hagati ya 4 na 10 4.Between 4 and 10
5. Birenze 10 times
5. More than 10
times
F22 Niba F21=2,3,4 1. Yego Is it always the same person/people? 1. Yes
Buri gihe ni umuntu umwe/abantu 2. Oya 2. No
bamwe?

F23 Wansobanurira neza Voir F3 Who was (were) the assailant(s) Seer F3
uwagukoreye/abagukoreye ibyo?

F24 Ni mu buhe buryo wakoreshejweho 1. Gukangisha ingufu/gukoresha How did they force you? 1. Threat of using
ingufu? ingufu (n’ intwaro cg nta ntwaro) physical force (with
2. Kwigambaho or without a
3. Kugucecekesha, gutera ubwoba weapon)
abandi 2. Affective
4. Ubundi buryo blackmailing
3. intimidation, threats
against others
4. Other means
F25 Mu bikorwa bibi tumaze kuvuga, 1. Gutukwa; Among the incidents we have just 1. insults, abuses
mbwira ibyaba byarakubayeho muri 2. Gukubitwa cyangwa guhutazwa; mentioned and which occurred during 2. physical brutalities
aya mezi 12 ashize ? 3. Gukangwa, gutandukanywa the last 12 months, you declared to 3. threats against the
n’abana; have experienced the following: children
4. Kukubuza kujya aho ujya, 4. Confinement, false
kumukingirana, kumusohora imprisonment,
munzu, kumuta ku muhanda; chasing out of the
5. Kumukangisha cyangwa house, being left
gushaka kumwica; on the roadside
6. Gutera ubwoba, gukoresha 5. Death threat
intwaro cyangwa ikindi kintu kibi, 6. Threat using a
kukuniga; weapon, attempted
7. Gukora ku igitsina, kukwambura murder
imyenda utabishaka ashaka 7. Touching and
kugukoresha forced sexual
imibonanompuzabitsina. intercourse
8. Ntanakimwe 8. None

F26 Kubwawe muri ibyo bikorwa bibi icyo Among these incidents, what is, One possible answer /____/
ubona gikabije ni ikihe? (Andika according to you, the most serious?
igisubizo kimwe gusa)

56
 SURVIVORS’ REACTIONS AND APPEALS

N0 Questions in Kinyarwanda Answers in Kinyarwanda Questions in English Answers in English

R1 Mu bikorwa bibi wavuze 1. P23 Among the incidents you declared to 1. P23
byakubayeho kuri P23, C24 2. C25 have been subjected to in P23, C24 or 2. C25
cyangwa F26, toranyamo nanone 3. F26 F26, can you again choose the most 3. F26
igikabije kuruta ibindi? (andika 4. Ntacyo serious one? 4. None
igisubizo kimwe gusa)
Si P22 =10 NA C24=22 NA F25=9
 FIN
R2 Hashize igihe kingana iki icyo 1. Iminsi |__|__| For how long did this incident occur? 1. Days |__|__|
gikorwa kikubayeho? 2. Amezi |__|__| 2. Months |__|__|
3. Imyaka |__|__| 3. Years |__|__|

R4 Ese ubu wavuga ko bene ubwo 1. Bwahagaze Do you consider that these incidents: 1. ended
bugizi bwa nabi-Ca akaziga ku 2. Bwahagaze ariko bushobora 2. have stopped but
mubare ujyanye n’igisubizo uhawe : kongera may happen again
3. Bugikomeza 3. are still going on
4. SBZ (Simbizi) 4. NSP

R5 Ese wasobanura neza uwagukoreye 1. Umuntu mutamenyeranye, Can you clarify who was (were) the 1. A stranger
iki gikorwa kibi wavuze hejuru ? 2. Umugabo wawe, assailant(s)? 2. Your husband
3. Uwo mukorana imibonano 3. A casual partner,
mpuzabitsina mudasanganwe, your son or the son
4. Papa wawe, of your spouse
5. Umuhungu wawe, 4. Your father
6. Sobukwe, umugabo wa Nyoko 5. Your son
utari so, 6. Your brother-in-
7. Umukwe wawe, law, your mother(s
8. Musaza wawe, spouse
9. Muramu wawe, 7. Your son-in-law
10. Undi mugabo mufitanye isano ( 8. Your brother
na Sobukwe), 9. Your brother-in-law
11. Undi mugabo wa hafi, 10. Another man
12. Abandi bagabo ba hafi among your
relatives (including
your father-in-law)
11. Another man from
among your close
relatives
12. Other close
relatives
R6 Ubwo uwo muntu yagukoreraga ibyo 1. Yego When this occurred, in your opinion, 1. Yes
wavuga ko yari yanyoye inzoga? 2. Oya had your assailant absorbed alcohol? 2. No
3. SBZ 3. NSP

57
 R7 Ubwo uwo muntu yagukoreraga ibyo 1. Yego When this occurred, in your opinion, 1. Yes
wavuga ko yari yafashe 2. Oya had your assailant taken drugs? 2. No
ibiyobyabwenge? 3. SBZ 3. NSP

R8 Icyo gihe bikubaho bwanyuma, 1. Mwabivuzeho ugerageza In the face of this incident (attack), what 1. You discussed,
wowe wabigenje ute? kubimubuza /kubibabuza was your immediate reaction? tried to deter the
2. Wararize assailant
3. Wagerageje kwirwanaho, 2. You burst into tears
umurwanya/ubarwanya 3. You struggled,
4. Warahunze, waramucitse/ defended yourself
warabacitse 4. You fled and
5. Waratatse, waratabaje, escaped
6. Watutse, wateye ubwoba 5. You screamed for
uwa/abaguhohoteraga help
7. Waramukubise/ warabakubise 6. You insulted,
threatened
7. You beat him

R9 Wahisemo kutagira icyo ukora icyo 1. Kutagira icyo nkora You chose to do nothing or you were 1. Decided to keep
gihe cg waragerageje birakunanira ? 2. Naragerageje birananira not able to do anything quiet
2. Could not do
anything

R10 Ubwo ibyo byakubagaho wari uri 1. Yego When this happened were you 1. Yes
kumwe n’ undi muntu? 2. Oya accompanied? 2. No

R11 Hari umuntu waba warabwiye 1. Yego, ako kanya bikiba mu Did you talk about the incident to 1. Yes, immediately,
ibyakubayeho? Hashize nk’ igihe masaha yakurikijeho. someone? If yes, after how long? in the course of
kingana iki ? 2. Yego, nyuma y’iminsi cyangwa the next few hours
amezi 2. Yes, later on, after
3. Oya some days or some
months
3. No
R12 Ese kubera ibyakubayeho: Waba 1. Oya Following this incident, did you stop 1. No
warahagaritse gukora mugihe 2. Yego working for more than one day? 2. Yes
kirenze umunsi umwe ? (Ntibireba 3. Ntikikureba 3. Not applicable
udashobora gukora)?

R13 Ese kubera ibyakubayeho : 1. Oya After this event, did you or another 1. No
Wowe ubwawe wabimenyesheje 2. Yego jyewe ubwanjye person get in touch with a support 2. Yes, i did
ishyirahamwe rifasha abahohotewe 3. Yego undi muntu association, called the assistance 3. Yes, another
cg uterefona kuri numero y’ubutabazi phone number? person did
cg byakozwe n’undi muntu ?

R14 Ese kubera ibyakubayeho : Wowe 1. Oya Following this incident did you or did 1. No
ubwawe wigeze ugisha inama 2. Yego wowe ubwawe someone else consult a lawyer? 2. Yes, I did
umunyamategeko cg byakozwe n’ 3. Yego undi muntu 3. Yes, someone else
undi muntu? did

R15 Ese kubera byakubayeho, washatse 1. Yego Following this incident, did you yourself 1. Yes
umuganga/Docteur ? 2. Oya or someone else consult a physician? 2. No

58
R16 Ese ugezeyo wakiriwe ute ? 1. Neza cyane How were you received upon your 1. Very well
2. Neza arrival? 2. Well
3. Neza mu rugero 3. Moderately well
4. Nabi 4. Badly
5. Nabi cyane 5. Very badly

R17 Ese kubera ibyakubayeho: 1. Oya Following these incidents, did you 1. No
Wigiriye ubwawe kuri police cg 2. Yego wowe ubwawe yourself or someone else report it to the 2. Yes, I did
wagiriwe yo n’undi muntu? 3. Yego undi muntu police? 3. Yes another person
did

R18 Niba R17=1 1. Neza cyane Si R17=1 1. Very well

Ese ugezeyo wakiriwe ute ? 2. Neza How were you received upon your 2. Well
3. Neza mu rugero arrival? 3. Moderately well
4. Nabi 4. Badly
5. Nabi cyane 5. Very badly

R19 Ese kubera ibyakubayeho : 1. Oya After this incident, did you lodge a 1. No
Witangiye ikirego cg byakozwe n’undi 2. Yego wowe ubwawe complaint? 2. Yes, I did
muntu ? 3. Yego undi muntu 3. Yes, someone else
did

R20 Ese ugezeyo wakiriwe ute ? 1. Neza cyane How were you received upon your 1. Very well
2. Neza arrival? 2. Well
3. Neza mu rugero 3. Moderately well
4. Nabi 4. Badly
5. Nabi cyane 5. Very badly

R21 Niba R19=1,2 1. Yego If R19= 1,2 1. Yes

Ese kubera ibyakubayeho : 2. Oya Did you get a complaint 2. No
Baguhaye icyemezo cyuko utanze acknowledgement receipt?
ikirego ?
R22 Ese kubera ibyakubayeho: 1. Yego Following your complaint was there any 1. Yes
Haricyo ubutabera bwabikozeho? 2. Oya legal conclusion? 2. No

R23 Niba R22=1 1. Oya If R22=1 1. No

Ese kubera byakubayeho 2. Yego Following the complaint, was there any 2. Yes
Uwabikoze yarahanwe ? 3. Urubanza ruracyakomeza conviction of the culprit? 3. The process is
ongoing

R24 Ese kubera byakubayeho : Waba 1. Oya After these incidents, did you get any 1. No
warabonye inkunga yamafaranga? 2. Yego financial assistance? 2. Yes
3. Narayisabye ndacyategereje 3. The request is
being processed

R25 Ese kubera byakubayeho? Niwowe 1. Yego Following these incidents did you 1. Yes
ubwawe wiburaniye? 2. Oya initiate a civil lawsuit as the plaintiff ? 2. No

R26 Ese kubera byakubayeho : Bigeze 1. Yego Following the complaint was there any 1. Yes
bakohereza mu bunzi ? 2. Oya referral to the courts for mediation? 2. No

R27 Ese ukurikije ibyo byakubayeho: 1. Oya Following the incident, do you fear to go 1. No
Utinya kugira aho ujya ? 2. Yego outside or to pay a visit to some 2. Yes
people?
R28 Ese ukurikije ibyo byakubayeho: 1. Oya Following these incidents, did you have 1. No
Warimutse ? 2. Yego to move into a new place? 2. Yes

R29 Ese ukurikije ibyo byakubayeho: 1. Oya Following these incidents, did you have 1. No
Wahinduye imwe mu myitwarire 2. Yego to change some habits (movements, 2. Yes
yawe (ingendo, gusohoka, outings, tightening of security measures
Gukomeza/kongera umutekano w’ for your flat)?
urugo)?

R30 Ese ukurikije ibyo byakubayeho: 1. Yego Following these incidents, did you 1. Yes
Wahisemo gutanga amakuru mu 2. Oya choose to provide confidential 2. No
ibanga cg kwishinganisha? information or to share this information
in order to protect yourself?
R31 Ese ukurikije ibyo byakubayeho: 1. Oya Following these incidents, did you suffer 1. No
Byaraguhungabanije ku buryo 2. Yego from troubles requiring psychological 2. Yes
ukenera ubujyanama? support?

R32 Ese ukurikije ibyo byakubayeho: 1. Oya Following these incidents, was your 1. No
Uko wiyumvaga kubyerekeye 2. Yego sexuality permanently impaired? 2. Yes
imibonano mpuzabitsina
byarahindutse

59
 R33 Ese ukurikije ibyo byakubayeho: 1. Oya Following this incident, did you become 1. No
Byakuviriyemo gusama 2. Yego pregnant? 2. Yes

R34 Ese ukurikije ibyo byakubayeho: iba 1. Oya If yes, did you procure an abortion or 1. No
ari yego, iyo nda wayikuyemo 2. Yego are you planning to do so? 2. Yes
cyangwa urateganya kuyikuramo

R35 Ese ukurikije ibyo byakubayeho: 1. Yego Following this incident, did you get a 1. Yes
Wanduye indwara zandurira mu 2. Oya sexually transmitted disease? 2. No
imibonanompuzabitsina ?

60
ANNEX B Interview Guides for the Focus Group Discussions

QUESTIONS DISCUSSED IN THE FGDS COMPOSED OF WOMEN AND YOUNG GIRLS

N0 Questions in Kinyarwanda Questions in English
1 Ni ayahe mahohoterwa akorerwa abagore mwe muzi, mwabonye cg What are the types of abuses perpetrated on women that you may have
mwumvise bavuga ? witnessed, observed or heard about?

2 Ni hehe abagore bakunze guhurira kenshi n’ amahohoterwa abakorerwa Where are they most frequently observed (family, in the marriage, public spaces,
(mu miryango, hagati y’ abashakanye, ahantu hahurirwa n’ abantu workplace, etc.)?
benshi, mu kazi…) ?
3 Mubona ari izihe mpamvu nyazo zituma abagore bahohoterwa (izifitanye What are the deep causes or roots of the abuses (social, cultural, economic …)?
isano n’ imibanire y’ abantu, umuco, ubukungu, …) ?

4 Ni ibihe bimenyetso bigaragara ku bagore bahohotewe (ku mubiri, ku What are the impacts of the abuses perpetrated on women (physical, mental,
guteshwa umutwe, mu bitekerezo,…) ? psychological, ,…)?

5 Mubona abagore bahohotewe babyifatamo bate? What are the reactions of the women who survived the abuses?

6 Ese hari ubwo bajya biyambaza kenshi inzego za polisi cg iz’ ubutabera? Do they often have recourse to the police or courts?

7 Hakorwa iki kugirango ihohoterwa rikorerwa abagore mu karere kanyu What can be done to stop the violence perpetrated on women in your region?
rihagarare?

QUESTIONS DISCUSSED BY THE FGD COMPOSED OF MATURE MEN AND YOUNG MEN

N0 Questions in Kinyarwanda Questions in English

1 Ni ayahe mahohoterwa akorerwa abagore mwe muzi, mwabonye cg What are the types of abuses perpetrated on women that you have witnessed,
mwumvise bavuga observed or heard about?

2 Ni hehe abagore bakunze guhurira kenshi n’ amahohoterwa abakorerwa Where are they most frequently observed (family, in the marriage, public spaces,
(mu miryango, hagati y’ abashakanye, ahantu hahurirwa n’ abantu workplaces, etc.)?
benshi, mu kazi…)?

3 Mubona ari izihe mpamvu nyazo zituma abagore bahohoterwa (izifitanye What are the deep causes or roots of the abuses ((social cultural, economic, etc.)?
isano n’ imibanire y’ abantu, umuco, ubukungu …)?

4 Ni ikihe kiciro cy’ abantu usangamo abahohotera abagore? Kubera iki? What are the deep causes or roots of the abuses ((social cultural, economic, etc.)?

5 Iyo bamaze guhohotera abagore bajya he/ ubasanga he? (Muri gereza, Where do we find the latter after their criminal acts? (in prison, free in the society,
hanze badafunze …)? etc.)

6 Iyo abo bantu barezwe icyaha cyo guhohotera abagore babyifatamo What are their reactions when they are accused of violence against women?
bate?

7 Hakorwa iki kugirango ihohoterwa rikorerwa abagore rihagarare? What are their reactions when they are accused of violence against women?

61
 QUESTIONS DISCUSSED DURING THE INTERVIEWS WITH KEY INFORMANTS

N0 Questions ien Kinyarwanda Questions in English

1 Hari amahohoterwa ashingiye ku gitsina mwaba muzi akorerwa abagore Do you know of cases of SGBV in your constituency?
mu gace mubamo?
2 Ni nk’ ayahe mahohoterwa ashingiye ku gitsina akorerwa abagore What are the most frequent types of SGBV that you have already recorded?
yabagezeho kenshi?
3 Mwasanze impamvu ziyatera ari izihe ? What are their causes?

4 Ni iyihe nkunga mutera (mumarira iki) abagore bahohoterwa muri ubwo What kind of support do you provide to the SGBV survivors?
buryo ?
5 Hari amategeko ariho mu Rwanda muzi yashyiriweho kurwanya Are you aware of the law in force concerning the control of SGBV in Rwanda? If
ihohoterwa rishingiye ku gitsina rikorerwa abagore ? Niba ari yego : yes, how to you enforce it?
Mwebwe mu nshingano zanyu ayo mategeko muyubahiriza mute ?
6 Mu gace mukoreramo ni hehe umuntu ashobora gusanga abagore Where can we identify the survivors and the perpetrators of the SGBV in your area
bakorewe ihohoterwa cg abaribakoreye (mu baturage, gereza, of operation (community, prisons, associations, etc.)?
amashyirahamwe,…)?
8 Uretse aho mukora, hari indi miryango cyangwa amashyirahamwe hafi Apart from your organization, can you name various organizations involved in the
hano agira uruhare mu kurwanya ihohoterwa rishingiye ku gitsina control of SGBV in your constituency? What kind of support do they provide to the
rikorerwa abagore ? SGBV survivors?
Ni iyihe nkunga batera abagore bahohotewe ?
9 Ese hari uburyo bw’ imikoranire buriho hagati y’ inzego zifasha abagore Is there any Framework of Cooperation between the said organisations (network)?
bahohotewe ?
10 Ni izihe ngamba mubona zikwiriye gufatwa mu rwego rwo guhagarika What strategies do you recommend for the effective eradication of the SGBV in
burundu ihohoterwa rishingiye ku gitsina rikorerwa abagore mu gace your constituency?
mubamo ?

62
 Annex C Summary of the Answers collected from the
Focus Group Discussions

Issues Women and young girls responses

Types of abuses 1. Insults
2. Threats by the husbands for having given birth to girls only
3. Beatings by the husbands
4. Refusal of the husbands to have an AIDS control test
5. Refusal by husbands to allow women to leave the house without their
permission
6. Refusal by husbands to use contraceptive methods
7. Men’s unfaithfulness
8. Denial of access to money by husband
9. Throwing out of the house by the husband
10. Burden of family responsibility borne by the wife alone
11. Sexual intercourse with the husband against her will
12. Polygamy
13. Attempts to force a woman to have sexual intercourse
14. Sexual abuses perpetrated on children, young girls , and women
15. Denial of access to inheritance
16. Early marriages
17. Separation from children
Places where the violence 1. Households
occurs 2. Close family members’ homes
3. Workplace
4. School or University
5. Roads in the evening
6. Prison
7. Bars
Causes of abuses 1. Alcohol
2. Poverty
3. Lack of respect for women and girls
4. Simply out of viciousness
5. Simply to satisfy sexual urges
6. Unlawful marriages
7. Women’s ignorance of their rights

63
 Issues Women and young girls responses

Impacts of abuses 1. Trauma expressed through depression, insomnia, isolation, loss of

trust in men, and lack of appetite
2. Physical consequences including infection of the genital organs by
STDs
3. Becoming a prostitute, drunkard, and drug addict
4. Becoming violent
5. Unwanted pregnancies
Reaction of the survivors 1. Silence for most of them
2. Lodging complaints to the police
3. Lodging complaints to the legal authorities
4. Separation of spouses
5. Confiding in friends
6. Suicide
Survivors’ recourse to the 1. Silence prevails for fear of bad social prejudice
police and the legal 2. Police
authorities 3. Ombudsmen but fear of a very high corruption in that body
Strategies to put an end to the 1. Fighting corruption at the local authorities level
abuses perpetrated on women 2. Training on women’s and children’s human rights (for women, girls,
men, and local authorities)
3. Using the media in the fight against these abuses
4. Setting up, at the local level, organisations responsible for the control
of Sexual Gender-Based Violence and assisting the survivors of the
vice
5. Continuing and strengthening programmes aimed at fighting
household poverty
6. Advocating for the education of women and girls
7. Multiplying billboards inviting people to fight against Sexual Gender-
Based Violence;

Types of abuses 1. Forced marriages

2. Considering a woman a servant
3. Men forcing sexual intercourse on the housemaids in their homes.
4. Men pursuing younger/more beautiful women
5. Children born outside the marriage
6. Unmarried mothers who are not supported materially by the
children’s fathers
7. Forced re-marriage of a widow by the husband’s brother
Places where abuses take 1. Night clubs, hotels and motels; the responsibility for the incidents is
place shared with the women/girls who go to these places

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 Issues Women and young girls responses

Causes of abuses 1. Women/girls’ low self esteem

2. Witchcraft (sorcery)
3. Young girls’ indecent clothing
4. Rwandan traditional culture that promotes the submission of women
to men
Perpetrators 1. Married men are the greatest perpetrators of SGBV
2. Teenagers and young boys are not as involved in the SGBV
Where can we find the 1. Those who abuse children are reported to the police and imprisoned
perpetrators? 2. Those who perpetrate abuses within the marriage are very rarely
reported because women fear to lodge a complaint and the
arbitration is biased. They are found in the community.
Reactions of the Perpetrators 1. Ask for forgiveness in only when they are reported
2. Deny any involvement when the evidence is difficult to prove as in
the case of abuses perpetrated within a marital context

Strategies to put an end to the 1. Defining what SGBV is in the Rwandan context
abuses perpetrated on 2. Encouraging the couples to engage in lawful marriage
women 3. Putting in place very severe punishments for the assailants
4. Encouraging women to break the silence surrounding SGBV
5. Improving the reception services for the survivors of SGBV in the
health centres
6. Organizing a huge national campaign against SGBV
7. Organizing discussions, meetings on the fight against SGBV in the
villages (after the community projects and activities).

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Annex D Lists of interviewed by district – Summary of the
interviews with the key informants

Rutsiro Kayonza Ngororero

1. The BONEZA Sector Executive Secretary 1. Deputy Mayor of the District in charge of 1. Police Commandant of the Rutsiro District
Social Affairs
2. Police Commandant of the Rutsiro District 2. Police Commandant of the Kayonza District 2. Director of the Muhoror Hospital
3.District Attorney of the RUTSIRO Tribunal 3. Physician in charge of the Maternity 3. Ruhuka ARCT representative
Department at the Gahini Hospital
4. Health Director of the Rutsiro District 4. Deputy Mayor in charge of Social Affairs
5. Officer in charge of the consultations at the CONGO-Nil Health Centre
Nyarugenge Gasabo Kicukiro
1. Health Director of the Nyarugenge District 1. Gasabo District Attorney 1. Director of Health of the Rutsiro District
2. Head of the Nyarugenge Health Centre 2. Head of the Kicukiro Health Centre
3. Police Commandant of the Nyarugenge District 3. Police Commandant of the Kicukiro District

Annex E: Answers collected

Interviews with the administrative and political leaders in the districts (Directors and deputy mayors)
Issues Answers
Types of SGBV 1. Rapes of girls below 12 years of age
2. Rapes of girls below 18 years of age and women in general
3. Serious assaults and battery by husbands
4. Husband’s refusal to feed the family
5. Overexploitation of women with household chores
6. Rapes committed in the family home and in bars
7. Young girls thrown out by their mothers who want to remarry
Causes of abuses 1. Polygamy
2. Consequences of the Genocide (people are no longer afraid to harm others)
3. Alcohol
4. Drugs
5. Poverty
6. Marital unfaithfulness
7. Lack of respect for women in the Rwandan culture
8. Unlawful cohabitation
9. Differences in income (a woman who earns more than her husband is assaulted by the
husband)
Type of support provided to the 1. Lack of (appropriate) legal and psychological support services for the SGBV survivors
survivors (Rutsiro District)
2. Haguruka (which no longer exists in Kayonza)
3. Informing the police about the abuses perpetrated, finding work for the victims, sensitize
women and girls on their rights (Kicukiro District)

Knowledge of the laws, policies, and 1. Draft law on domestic violence

strategies in force in the field of the 2. Laws, policies, and strategies usually unknown despite a real willingness to fight all types of
SGBV SGBV
3. Community Policing

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Other organizations working in the 1. Haguruka in Kigali
field of SGBV in your constituency 2. Profemmes in Kigali
3. Human Rights Commission in Kigali
4. Seruka in Kigali
Types of supports provided 1. Legal support

Existence of a network for 1. Nonexistent

organisations working in the area of
SGBV
Strategies against SGBV 1. Ensuring that the law on Domestic Violence is amended as soon as possible
2. Strengthening Community Policing against the numerous abuses perpetrated within the
family home.
3. Reinforcing cooperation with churches in efforts to sensitize the population about SGBV
4. Taking care of the children born from separated families (due to the occurrence of SGBV)
5. Train couples in family planning and fight against the SGBV
6. Adopting a law governing polygamy

Interviews with the heads of the district health departments (Directors of Hospitals, Heads of Health Facilities)
Issues Answers
Types of SGBV 1. Raped women and girls
2. Battered women
3. Housemaids beaten by their female employers
4. Cases of SGBV are not many in the FOSA and hospitals because of the culture of silence
adopted by many SGBV survivors
5. Sexual abuses by HIV-infected men
6. Sexual abuses by family relatives

Causes of abuses 1. Drunkenness

2. Promiscuity
3. Ignorance of laws that protect people

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 Type of support provided to survivors 1. Police for legal proceedings against perpetrators
2. Hospitals for confirmation of the act of violence
3. The FOSA provides care to the survivors of abuses even if they are not able to pay the
fees under the special emergency services provided to survivors of SGBV
4. Reception of the survivor and treatment of the visible wounds (at the hospital or in a FOSA)
before reporting to the police

Knowledge of the laws, policies, and 1. Laws protecting children against abuses
strategies in force in the field of SGBV
Other organizations working in the 1.
UNICEF
field of SGBV in your constituency 2.
ARCT
3.
Politico-administrative authorities
Types of support provided 1.
Training in the rights of children
2.
Psychological counselling of the victims (Ngororero)
3.
Taking legal action and conviction of the act of violence
Existence of a network of the actors 1.
A framework for cooperation does exist between the health institutions (which issue a
against the SGBV medical certificate) and the police (who use this certificate to complete the file related to the
act of violence)
Strategies against SGBV 1. Training women and girls on their rights
2. Protecting women and girls when they are in the fields or in the bush
3. Strengthening the promotion of the girls’ education
Interviews with the commanding police officers at the districts level
Questions Answers
Types of SGBV 1. Rape of young girls below 18 years and women
2. Women abused at the household level
3. Abuses against prostitutes when the client is unable to pay (Nyarugenge)
4. Refusal by the husband to buy food for his home

Causes of abuses 1. Alcohol

2. Unfaithfulness leading to polygamy
3. Parents placing too much trust in their domestic workers and cattle herders who then rape
their children
4. Ignorance of the laws governing the rights of women and children
5. Poverty and promiscuity
6. Drugs
7. Genocide
8. The Rwandan culture that does not give the Rwandan woman her due respect

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Types of support given to the 1. Sending victims to hospital for medical assessment
survivors 2. After that starting legal proceedings against the perpetrator and referring the case to the
public prosecutor’s office so that the culprit can be tried.
3. Sensitization on SGBV by a Police Unit called « GBV help desk » coordinated by police
women (Kigali)
4. Direct the survivors to the FOSA and legal and psychological counselling associations
5. Police investigation
6. Prevention : Sensitization in cooperation with the authorities at the grassroots level
(Ngororero)

Knowledge of the laws, policies, and 1. Community policing to fight against any form of criminal offence
strategies in force in the field of the 2. The law forbidding all forms of violence does exist, while the law forbidding the specific
SGBV violence against women does not yet exist.

Other organizations operating in the 1. Haguruka

area of SGBV in your constituency 2. AVEGA
3. UNIFEM (Kigali)
4. Profemmes
Strategies against the SGBV 1. Establishment of associations against the SGBV at the grassroots level
2. Training and informing the people that they must report any cases of abuse to the police
3. Partners such as UNIFEM should support the “Community Policing” committees in training
them on how to deal with the SGBV
4. Fight polygamy
5. Intensification of the cooperation between the local authorities and the police
6. Sensitization of men to get them to contract civil weddings in order to safeguard the rights of
women
7. Fighting alcoholism
8. Training of women on the laws that protect them so that they become pioneers in fighting for
their rights

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70
Avenue de l’Armée
P.O.Box 445 Kigali, Rwanda
Tel. : +250 252 590 463 / Fax : +250 252576 263
www.unifem.org
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