The Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Valentine Uwamariya, on Friday, September 22, visited the Regional Centre of Excellence on GBV and Child Abuse based at the Rwanda National Police (RNP) General Headquarters in Kacyiru, where she was briefed on its operations ever since it was launched in 2016.
She was received at the Centre by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) in charge of Administration and Personnel, Jeanne Chantal Ujeneza.
Ujeneza reiterated the RNP’s commitment to work with all entities and to ensure that the centre becomes a central hub in addressing gender based violence and child abuse issues, collectively.
Uwamariya emphasized the importance of the Centre in creating positive impact in gender and child abuse related matters.
She said: “I came here to know how this Regional Centre of Excellence on GBV and Child Abuse operates, and how to ensure its sustainability through partnerships and having long term projects.”
“A lot has been done by this centre but we can do more, better, together, as the Ministry, the Gender Monitoring Office, the Police, and other entities charged with gender and child abuse issues, through more research and availing more necessities to achieve its purpose.”
The Minister emphasised on having a comprehensive working framework that will define all partnerships to enable the Center to sustain what has been achieved.
Launched by the government in November 2016, the Centre serves as a regional hub for addressing capacity issues in the gender sector.
The idea of having centre started during the 2010 Kigali International Conference Declaration (KICD). This was in response to the UNiTE global campaign to end violence against women and girls.
In 2017, it was adopted by the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO) as the Regional Centre of Excellence on GBV and Child Abuse.
It hosts the Permanent Secretariat of KICD to coordinate security organs and law enforcement agencies in Africa in GBV and child abuse management.
It is a national training centre for stakeholders and partners in the area of gender, GBV and child protection.
It was established mainly to conduct research, build capacity of security organs and civilian personnel, promote regional initiatives and share good practices on ending gender based violence and child abuse.
It has since hosted international meetings and capacity building programmes for national and international law enforcement agencies, including field training exercises and command post exercises as well as training of about 700 nationals.