demonstrates Rwanda’s commitment to protect and promote human
dignity and moral integrity. The protection is cross cutting and does not
foster any discrimination including that based on gender.
25. The Government of Rwanda has made ending Violence Against
Women (VAW) and gender based violence (GBV) a national security
priority. As earlier submitted, sstrategies for addressing this problem
include a policy of “zero tolerance” to GBV across all sectors, supported
by laws such as the anti- GBV Law and the criminal code, which
provides severe punishment for all GBV and VAW offenses. An
outstanding model of response to VAW/GBV is the Isange One Stop
Centers (IOSC) which is a Multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary Program
being implemented by the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion,
Ministry of Health, Rwanda National Police, the Ministry of Justice,
under the coordination of the Ministry of Gender and Family
Promotion.
26. The program is aimed at providing psychosocial, medical, police and
legal services to adult and child survivors of gender based violence and
child abuse occurring in the family or in the community at large which
provide holistic response to GBV under one roof, in order to minimize
the risk of re-victimization, spoiled evidence and delayed justice, there
is a target to reach 44 centres by the end of 2016.
27. The centers provide free, 24-hour medical, psychosocial counseling and
medical-legal and safe house services to the victims. By cutting down
on procedures and providing services under one roof, these OSC are
more victim-friendly, provide rapid response, making victims more
willing to seek services and to report GBV cases. Currently, we have
such centers in 23 District Hospitals.
28. Rwandan security organs have demonstrated unprecedented
commitment to ending VAW. Both RNP and Rwanda Defense Forces
(RDF) have established anti-GBV Directorates that ensure an
environment free of GBV at institutional level and develop strategies for
response to VAW as a security priority. Monthly GBV reports
submitted as part of the regular security reports at district and sector
levels. Rwanda’s security organs have extended this commitment to a
Page 75 of 105