Résultats de recherche

FINAL STUDY REPORT RWAMREC ABOUT PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH ON ATTITUDES, PERCEPTIONS AND NEEDS TOWARDS TEENAGE PREGNANCY IN HUYE AND KICUKIRO DISTRICTS

IN KICUKIRO AND HUYE DISTRICTS The study on attitude and perceptions on gender based violence towards men and boys in the districts of Kicukiro and Huye was conducted as an exploratory action research commissioned by the Rwanda Men Resource Center (RWAMREC), with a view to asses the extent of Sexual and Gender based violence against men and boys in the mentioned districts and to know the characteristics of SGBV against men and boys. The methodological approach used to achieve the above mentioned purpose of the study included review of existing literature and consultations with community members, including adult males and females and teens males and females as well. Consultations were conducted through focus group discussion with the mentioned categories of resource persons. Interviews with key informants were also conducted at the level of the selected sectors of Kigarama in Kicukiro District and Mukura in Huye District. Key findings were categorized under different aspects as unpacked below. General perceptions of GBV by consulted community members : it was found that there is very limited awareness among community members on what gender based violence means, its different forms (especially physical, psychological and economic) and how it differs from other forms of violence. Additionally, there is a misunderstanding that the GBV law is defending women’s rights only ignoring that it is at the same time defending men’s rights as well. Perceptions of community members on GBV issues against men and boys : the different resource persons highlighted that men are also victims of GBV even though there was recognition that women remain majority among the victims. Community attitudes on GBV against men and boys : although men and boys were found to be also victims of GBV but community members do not tolerate GBV against them. They would rather tolerate GBV as subjected to women but not to men. The explanation behind this stand was that are the heads of families and therefore GBV would attack the leadership of families which is unbearable. Identified particular GBV issues pertaining to men and boys : men and boys were found to be victims of the different forms of GBV including physical, sexual, economic and psychological violence. However, it was found that men and boys, especially boys between the age bracket of 13-17 years were more victims of physical violence compared to their female counterparts. In addition to physical violence, men were found to be victims of both economic violence and psychological violence. Barriers encountered by men and boys in disclosing and reporting abuse perpetrated against them : different factors were found to be contributing to the limited reporting among men and boys of their GBV cases but the most influential were : socio-cultural barriers dictating men to suffer in silence if they want to keep their manhood, poverty, fear of stigma and the need to keep the family together, limited knowledge on evidence for psychological and economic forms of GBV, limited functioning and limited trust in existing GBV structures and misinterpretation of GBV law. Structural and implementation gaps in government efforts to effectively involve men and boys in the promotion of gender equality and fight against GBV : a sizable number of structures addressing GBV, as efforts made by Government of Rwanda were identified. However, the limited coordination and capacity to handle GBV cases among the structures themselves and the lack of targeting men and boys as victims are the major gaps leading to the limited participation of men and boys in the promotion gender equality and fight against GBV. Based on the above the following were found to be the key challenges hampering promotion of gender equality in general and men and boys’ involvement in particular : 1) Misinterpretation of the concept of gender equality ; 2) Limited knowledge about the GBV Law ; 3) Limited government attention to men as beneficiaries and allies for gender equality ; 4) Limited trust by men in structures addressing GBV ; 5) Effects of negative masculinity around men as custodians of power over women. December 2019

RULINDO DISTRICT This baseline is based on the principle of determining the extent to which citizens of Rulindo District participates in the decision-making, planning, budgeting, and evaluation processes of activities intended for the benefit for the activities intended to community interest. This is in line with the initial objectives of the project “Public Policy Information, Monitoring and Advocacy " (PPIMA) implemented by RWAMREC within the framework of the funding of Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) Starting with a desk review, SMART Consultancy Ltd realized that the project had been designed and implemented within the framework of complementary existing policies aimed at improving citizen participation to drive the entire development process in Rwanda. In such a perspective, the implementation of the project referred to the community scorecard (CSC) approach in supplement to the existing district’s performance contract (Imihigo) and village assemblies among others, for the acceleration of community development through citizen’s participation. The research methodology used was predominantly qualitative. During one week of data collection, the consultant assisted by 4 enumerators collected the intended data using Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with 37 citizens and opinion leaders and semi structured interviews with selected eight (8) local leaders at district, sector, cell and village level. PPIMA RWAMREC staff collaborated in the preparation of the inception report, as well as comments on the data collection tools and the preliminary report. The study found that although Rulindo District ranked among the top performing districts in terms of community engagement in decision making and implementation processes, this district still lags behind in the area of agriculture and land issues. It was also noted that citizen participation is real during community assemblies, with the appreciation of a significant and tangible presence of women. In general, participation is always at the level of information and consultation, with little or no feedback on certain questions or suggestions made by citizens. On the other hand, in some cells, citizens suggested issues that did not come from above and that were implemented at the local level. Regarding the role of women compared to men’s in citizen participation, three main views appeared in the findings : equal participation of women and men, traditional male supremacy and female domination. Regarding the participation of people with disabilities (PWD) compared to other citizens, it was noted that in principle, people with disabilities participate with their neighbors in all assemblies at the village level, but also have representatives in all councils ; however, in practice, participation of people with disabilities in decision making is still low, due to stigma and the lack of facilities suited to the types of disability. Regarding the participation of historically marginalized people (HMP) in relation to other citizens, according to various officials and authorities met, they participate with their neighbors in all community assemblies at the village level. However, the majority of citizens who participated in focus group discussions, including the HMP, revealed that participation is very low compared to other vulnerable people in the same Ubudehe categories. Most of HMP self-discriminate and/or are discriminated by their neighbors. About the participation of vulnerable people compared to other citizens, most of research participants think that vulnerable people can have good ideas as other citizens. However, some of them have lost their self-esteem, lack confidence and/or censor themselves to participate actively in community assemblies. Other vulnerable people think that their voices cannot be considered, due to the lack and/or delay of adequate responses on issues raised in the past. Regarding the capacity of youth in citizen participation, almost all respondents have expressed worries about the low participation of youth in community assemblies and other activities. According to the district, staff interviewed, there are a few structural gaps identified so far in terms of citizen participation. Citizens and opinion leaders mentioned some gaps at the implementation level, such as low feedback on issues collected during the consultation, but not considered, imposition of contributions by local leaders without and consultation or discussion with citizens, very weak participation in the selection of beneficiaries of some Government programs such as VUP, BDF (Business Development Fund) and Ubudehe categorization. Conclusively, findings have revealed a citizens’ satisfaction about their participation in areas of governance and security but gaps in terms of implementation, which implies a need to stimulate genuine citizen participation beyond information and consultation. Despite the effort of engaging both the people with disabilities (PWD) and the historically marginalized people (HMP), there are still signs of stigma and discrimination. Citizens are not systematically involved in decision making, monitoring, even though consulted and assumedly the fact that the community assemblies are chaired by the cell authorities, it does not allow the ordinary citizens to feel contributing freely to the decisions being made. The self-confidence of citizens and their ownership in monitoring the implementation of ‘imihigo’ in general and vulnerable categories, in particular, emerges also as an opportunity to improve. The currently widely used approach resembles the inclusion of citizens in the deliberative process. However, their participation in the decision-making process is not yet systematically sought, nor is appropriate feedback. The level of partnership is still low.

During a recent policy dialogue related to gender rights in the workplace, it was unanimously admitted that paternity leave still faces a number of challenges and one concrete way to advance the leave for workers whose spouses have given birth is to dig deep into barriers, gaps and challenges hampering the paternity leave to be effective from all fronts including policy and community levels. In recognition of the potential for fathers to positively contribute to early childcare, Rwamrec and RCSP have commissioned this Rapid assessment to document legislative gaps and other factors, attitudes and behaviors inhibiting male engagement in early childhood care, on one hand and paternity leave, on the other hand. The assessment aims to study legislative gaps, barriers and challenges affecting father’s involvement in the childhood care from a perspective of experts, practitioners and other related grey literature. The ultimate objective was to formulate recommendations for an effective fatherhood in general and increased use of paternity leave in the best interest of children for healthy families in Rwanda. The ultimate ambition would be to helping the Government of Rwanda, Rwamrec and other gender actors to develop programs, strategies and interventions that better address certain potentially harmful social norms related to father involvement. In terms of methodology used so far, the rapid assessment adopted a largely qualitative approach using both primary and secondary data sources. It involved key informant interviews at national level, including with national authorities of gender machinery, gender practitioners, trade union leaders, opinion leaders, gender activists..... In terms of key findings, while recognizing exceptional cases of effective involvement of fathers in early steps of the child, it is obvious that certain cultural commonalities are evident as a result of prevailing gender norms, attitudes and behaviors in Rwanda. It is common in Rwandan culture to see women taking on the bulk of responsibility for parenting, especially in the early years. From conception onwards, mothers will take a lead in almost all aspects of childcare. The part played by fathers, however, is far less visible. The rapid assessment also shows that more often, Rwandan mothers maintain a proximate and hands-on relationship with babies throughout their infancy. Nevertheless, it seems from the findings that fathers are implicated in a wide range of ‘behind the scenes’ work to support the mother, especially when the child reaches the age of walking and talking and are less involved the first steps of the baby. Nevertheless, the lack of engagement by fathers is particularly prominent and is explained by several key factors : A limited policy and legislative environment that seems to deny to fathers the same amount of leave period to father workers as shown in this rapid assessment ; The primacy of a patriarchal culture that dictates the division of labor between mothers and fathers ; Maternal “Gatekeeping” as an additional barrier to the involvement of men in caregiving activities ; A lack of knowledge amongst both men and women about the potential benefits of father engagement ; The reinforcement of existing gender stereotypes through female dominated early childhood service provision ; Key Recommendations : Given the various individual, familial and societal benefits of increased father involvement in early childhood, several recommendations are put forth, some inspired by promising practices from the field. These include : Aggressive awareness-raising at national and local levels through all available and existing forums where community members meet and discuss community issues (Umugoroba w’umuryango, intego y’abaturage,….) ; The promotion of champions and ‘positive deviance’ role models to inspire young men and fathers ; Incentivizing father involvement and male engagement especially through the family performance contracts ; Investing in an evidence base to provide data on positive outcomes for children, families, and communities as a result of increased father involvement ; Evolving national policy including labor laws and policies and monitor their implementation ; POLICY BRIEF : Overcoming the barriers, filling the gaps and addressing challenges to make paternity leave a living reality in Rwanda. Décembre 2022

A baseline study report This baseline study aimed at collecting data and information that would later help to measure the progress and impact of the RWAMREC Gender and Social inclusion Accountability project in increasing citizen participation in leadership process and setting up their priorities to influence the Imihigo and district planning, including the institutionalization of the gender-budgeting statement (GBS) in Imihigo performance contracts. This baseline study covered Nyaruguru and Gatsibo districts. The current baseline study focused on measuring the level of citizens participation, particularly members of the vulnerable groups (persons with disabilities, the elderly, the youth, and women) in the Imihigo, in district development plan, and budgeting processes with gender lens. The baseline further looked at the factors that hinder the effective participation of community members at the different stages of imihigo processes. February 2022

Comprendre les perceptions, attitudes, pratiques liés à la masculinité et concevoir des stratégies qui s’attaquent à la violence sexiste, promouvoir l’égalité des sexes en impliquant les hommes. Cette recherche a pour objectif principal de comprendre les perceptions, les normes, les attitudes, les connaissances et pratiques liées à la masculinité en vue de concevoir des stratégies qui s’attaquent à la violence sexiste et promouvoir l’égalité de sexe dans l’Ombella M’Poko en impliquant les hommes. L’étude a été réalisée dans le cadre du Projet : « Services de réhabilitation physique, psychologique et réinsertion économique intégrés aux survivants des violences sexuelles et basées sur le genre et leurs familles liées aux conflits à l’Ombella M’Poko » mis en œuvre par l’Association des Femmes Juristes de Centrafrique(AFJC) et Rwanda Men’s Resource Center (RWAMREC) avec l’appui financier et technique de la Cour Pénale Internationale (CPI)/Fonds au profit des Victimes en République centrafricaine Mandat d’assistance. Le projet a pour but de contribuer à la réparation des préjudices sanitaires, psychologiques et matériels subits par les victimes des conflits ainsi qu’à la résilience des personnes vulnérables y compris femmes et filles victimes de VSBG et aux efforts de consolidation de la paix en République Centrafricaine en utilisant l’approche de masculinité positive. La perception de la masculinité demeure un domaine de recherche à comprendre et analyser les expériences des hommes et des garçons en tant qu’êtres sexués, incluant les notions rigides de la masculinité qui façonnent leurs attitudes et leurs comportements, ainsi que leurs rôles et responsabilités dans la promotion des droits des femmes et filles à travers la justice et l’égalité genre pour tous. Le défi majeur reste à influencer les rôles stéréotypés des hommes/garçons et les expressions patriarcales de la virilité, à soutenir les manifestations d’attitudes et de comportements non violents, équitables et inclusifs en transformant les normes sociales qui sont à l’origine des inégalités entre les sexes. Les résultats de cette étude visent à fournir à RWAMREC et ses partenaires un document de référence sur la masculinité en vue de concevoir des stratégies contextualisées pour impliquer les hommes dans des initiatives visant à mettre fin aux violences sexuelles et celles basées sur le genre(VSBG). Cette recherche constitue aussi un outil de plaidoyer en vue de concevoir des programmes efficaces permettant d’impliquer les hommes et les garçons, leur donner les moyens de promouvoir des relations équitables, bienveillantes et non-violentes et consolider la paix en République Centrafricaine(RCA). Bangui, Février 2022

The booklet summarizes the main achievements and lessons learnt during the implementation of the different activities of GEWEP III in year 2022.

This qualitative study explored gender relations and the role of masculinities on women’s participation in local civilian and political agendas in the eight Rwandan districts including Burera, Gakenke, Gatsibo, Ngororero, Nyagatare, Nyamagabe, Nyaruguru and Rulindo. The study, carried out in December 2020 and January 2021, included interviews and discussions with 384 men, women, boys and girls in 64 Focus Group Discussions and 25 Key informant interviews with stakeholders, experts and leaders at national, district and community levels. The research aimed to identify obstacles in gender relations and masculinities that contribute to GBV and hinder women’s participation of the local agenda and grasp aspects of masculinity that positively contribute to women’s engagement and participation in local politics. The obstacles are associated with attitudes, practices and perceptions on masculinities in gender relations : Cultural perceptions and norms are keeping women and men captured in traditional gender roles : Gender relations are characterized by traditional gender roles where men are the head of the family and women do household work. Women and girls’ ambitions remain often focused to “be a good wife and mother”. In being a “good woman” they have to respect men and husbands as their providers and protectors which automatically gives men the privileged position as decision makers. “Good man” are responsible for the family and in being a real man they cannot do women’s work. Cultural taboos and shame are playing an important role in keeping men and women stuck to socially ascribed activities. Social norms are internalized and deeply ingrained in gendered identities. Breaking such social codes generates strong emotions as shame, especially among men ; that makes changes of gender norms difficult. Power inequality facilitates men’s use of violence against women and reinforce traditional social norms of women as weak and men as decision makers : Men feeling entitled to dominate and control women because they are income providers and males, are not providing space for women to take decisions nor consider their opinions. Furthermore, power inequality leads to various forms of violence against women committed by men, and women are often blamed for men’s use of violence. Framing women as peacemakers that are responsible for harmony at home contribute to men’s justification of violence use to a wife that is not respecting him. In other words, power inequality reinforces violence and abuse against women and feeds the perception that masculinity means that men can restrict, abuse and dominate their wives. Psychosocial responses of women and girls affected by gender-based violence reinforce traditional gender roles : Many women and girls are coping with negative consequences of violence by keeping silent and acceptance of traditional gender roles. The psychosocial consequences of violence confine women, but also girls, to their socially prescribed roles and force them to accept men’s power and control to avoid conflicts and social rejection. Fear and consequences of violence, the shame of being labeled as a bad woman who is not respecting her husband, is a major obstacle for women to participate in public activities. To avoid violence and social rejection, women navigate their life’s between traditional gender roles expectations and searching opportunities to enjoy her women rights. Gender equality is perceived as a failure of masculinity : Men and boys resist to support gender equality as they fear that women’s autonomy may take power away from men. Men are afraid that women’s empowerment makes women disrespectful, arrogant, prostitutes and make them a source of conflicts at home. Social taboos on men’s vulnerability and weakness are pushing men and boys to meet masculinity perceptions of being strong, tough and in control. Failure in having control, is an important source of resistance against gender equality and violence against women. Rwandan regulations to promote gender equality and end GBV are hindered by masculinity perceptions : The anti GBV law has an important preventive impact on gender-based violence against women. Fear for punishment has created a taboo on violence against women as a crime that is no longer accepted as a social cultural phenomenon. Loss of power is confronting men with failed masculinity that generates resistance and sometimes more violence. Access for women to decision making structures is opening new windows for women and girls but full implementation is hindered by hegemonic masculinities. Access for women and girls to political engagement evolves but is hindered by deeply rooted perceptions on gender relations and masculinities : Women and men are aware of possibilities for women to participate in meetings and leadership roles, but traditional gender roles are the main obstacles for women as for men. Women cannot combine the household work with other activities and men are not yet ready to support his wife doing women’s work. Women, often lower educated than men, feeling less experienced and skilled to take up leader roles. Last but not least, strong resistance of men fearing to lose control is hindering women to participate. Young boys and girls supportive to women’s role in leadership positions : The younger generation is more convinced that women and men have equal capacities and competences for decision making and political participation. They have experienced themselves that there was no difference in skills and intelligence of boys and girls. Despite their support for women’s and girls’ access to leadership, and access for women and girls to work outside the house, they hold on to traditional gender roles. The majority of boys and girls think that women should do homework and childcare and men should generate income. But they could collaborate and support each other, when there is love between them. Positive masculinities of men that support women’s empowerment are potential present but need to be reinforced and guided : Despite challenges of men and women in embracing gender equality and supporting women and girls to participate in public roles, there are opportunities. Women and girls and -fewer men and boys- are in a process of adopting perceptions of positive masculinities as nonviolent, collaborative and supportive. It is recommended to support this process of change, including negative side effects as resistance, through research, programs and interventions that equally include men, women, boys and girls to experience the strength of gender equality as sharing being human. Limited capacity in gender mainstreaming among district planning units remains a stumbling block for effective transformation of negative masculinities and gender inequalities : the Rwanda government has made tremendous efforts to promote gender equality through positive masculinity among other approaches. However, the efforts made are thwarted by limited knowledge and skills in gender mainstreaming among district planning units who strongly need to strengthen their capacity to streamline key gender issues. POLICY BRIEF ON ISSUES HINDERING WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL POLITICS IN RWANDA