Closing this year’s 16 Days of Activism against GBV campaign in Rwanda

From 25 November to 10 December, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) mobilised institutions, communities and individuals worldwide to reaffirm their commitment to ending violence against women and girls. The global theme this year was “UNiTE to end digital violence against all women and girls”, in line with Rwanda's national theme : “All for GBV-free families”. Across the country, awareness and prevention activities took place, and LuxDev Rwanda proudly joined the effort. Here is a quick recap of the highlights.

At the start of the campaign, orange pins bearing the message “Say NO to Gender-Based Violence” were given to all LuxDev colleagues. These served as a visible symbol of solidarity and awareness.

As the Improving skills for holistic employment in modern agriculture (ISHEMA) project steering committee meeting coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls on 25 November, as well as the start of the 16 Days of Activism against GBV, the same pins were given to all participants, alongside a brief introduction to the campaign.

The Digital skills for quality TVET in Rwanda project hosted a two-day awareness session for citizenship teachers and gender focal points from the eleven supported schools. The sessions covered core gender concepts, GBV, technology-facilitated GBV (TFGBV), and gender-responsive pedagogical approaches. The aim was to provide teachers with the knowledge and resources needed to organise awareness activities in their own schools during the campaign, thereby increasing the impact on students and school staff.

Building on the momentum of the teacher awareness sessions, LuxDev teams visited two TVET schools – Rugando Technical Secondary School (TSS) and Kanyinya TSS – to observe the citizenship classes on GBV prevention and response, led by trained teachers. Short interview videos were produced to capture the reflections of students and teachers.

As part of the campaign's focus on TFGBV, LuxDev joined an awareness session organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) with Rwandan social media influencers.

The Rwanda Investigation Bureau also reports a growing number of cybercrime cases, including the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, online extortion, impersonation and digital harassment. The session examined the main types of TFGBV in Rwanda, the laws on cybercrime and data protection, and highlighted the responsibility of influencers to promote positive online behaviour. By creating safe and respectful digital spaces, content creators can play a key role in reducing online violence.

LuxDev and UN Women co-hosted a multi-stakeholder dialogue bringing together representatives from the Rwanda Investigation Bureau, the media, and a young online activist. The discussion highlighted key challenges and resulted in concrete recommendations, including :

• increasing the youth online literacy and strengthening their skills to safely navigate online spaces and engage with content in a non-threatening way;
• increasing legal literacy and public awareness of national laws on GBV, online violence, cybercrime, and online personal data protection;
• integrating specific articles for TFGBV and online violence protection in the national GBV Law (which is currently under review) and integrating a gender perspective in the existing cybercrime and personal data protection laws;  
• investing in text-recognition tools capable of detecting online abuse in Kinyarwanda;
• enhancing media reporting on (TF)GBV cases by training journalists in every newsroom and promoting survivor-centred journalism.

Through the Sustainable forestry and efficient renewable energy for improved livelihood (SFERE) project, LuxDev joined UN Women and other partners in Rubavu for a major community event that brought together over 2,000 participants. The gathering strengthened grassroots efforts to fight GBV and marked the celebration of two important milestones :

• the legalisation of 86 marriages in the Mudende sector, strengthening women’s rights to property, decision-making and economic security;
• the launch of a women- and youth-centered cookstove distribution model, promoting clean energy, income generation and reduced care burdens.

On 10 December, the Embassy of Luxembourg hosted a screening of Hors d’Haleine, a powerful film that tells Emma’s story as she escapes an abusive relationship, finds safety in a women’s shelter, and discovers solidarity and strength among other survivors.

Before the screening, a panel discussion took place with the film’s director, Eric LAMHÈNE, and two prominent Rwandan women’s rights activists. The conversation explored the challenges of bringing the film to life, shed light on both visible and hidden forms of GBV, and touched on ongoing debates around revising Rwanda’s GBV law.

A big thank you to all colleagues and partners for their dedication to organising and participating in these awareness-raising activities !