Sexual violence is rampant in the Great Lakes Region.
BUJUMBURA
Burundian Health Minister Josiane Nijimbere Monday launched the urgent project on sexual violence, gender-based violence (GBV) and women’s health in the Great Lakes region to improve women’s wellbeing in the region. The regional project launched in the Burundian capital Bujumbura will cover three countries including Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) and Rwanda for a period of four years with the financial and technical support of the World Bank.
“Despite efforts in gender promotion and in the fight against gender-based violence, sexual violence remains a big issue in Burundi. It is in this context that the urgent project on sexual violence, gender-based violence (GBV) and women’s health in the Great Lakes region was initiated to address the issue in Burundi, in the DR Congo and in Rwanda,” said Burundian Health Minister and AIDS Control Minister Dr Josiane Nijimbere.
According to her, the project is in line with the Kampala Declaration that Burundi and other Great Lakes countries signed in December. 2011 whereby signatory countries of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) agreed to implement four pillars. Those pillars include preventing sexual and gender-based violence, impunity eradication, assistance to victims and general recommendations. In Burundi, the project will be implemented in three of the country’s 18 provinces notably Cibitoke (northwest), Muyinga (northeast) and Makamba (south). –XINHUA
