Kigali May 17, 2018. The Government of Rwanda has called everyone to join the efforts to end violence against children and young people. This violence includes sexual, physical or emotional violence, which all leave scars that can last a child’s lifetime. The call was made during the dissemination of the “Violence against Children and Youth Survey (VACYS) report conducted in 2015-2016 to 2,000 children and young people.

The study was supported by UNICEF Rwanda, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the International Development Research Center (IDRC). This survey shows how Rwanda is committed to protecting children and youth from violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect.

UWALIRAYE Parfait the Director General of Planning, Health Financing & Information System in the Ministry of Health, thanked everyone who supported this survey to be conducted, and said that the Government of Rwanda is committed to end the violence against all people and especially the young People.

“Violence against children as has been identified, the Government of Rwanda has been committed to protect children and youth in any form of violence, the Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey conducted in 2010 and 2015, collected information about violence among men and women aged from 15 and above. Those data gave us an estimate of violence among people, aged 15 and above, there was still gap of data of violence against children.”  Uwariraye said.

“The survey on violence against children and youth in Rwanda was designed and implemented in deep to fill the gap of information and data regarding violence among children and youth. With important achievements that have been registered by the Government in terms of institutional policy and legal framework, in order to combat violence and protect children and youth, surveys like this one are very crucial in child protection.” He said.

When children are victims of violence, the effects can extend beyond physical scars. In addition to serious injuries, children who are victims of violence are also likely to miss or abandon school, or experience psychological distress. In some cases, this distress can even lead to thoughts of suicide. Addressing current instances of violence is also essential to protecting future generations.

The study that was presented by Division Manager of Mental Health Division at Rwanda Biomedical Center Yvonne Kayiteshonga, found that boys are more likely to abuse other children if they are victims of violence themselves, and that young people, especially girls themselves, believe women should tolerate violence to keep families together.

 “we are committed to end violence against children in Rwanda, this study is an important place to start, let’s protect our children from violence in Rwanda!” UNICEF Deputy Representative Oliver Petrovic said in the dissemination of the Survey.

“UNICEF is also committed to ending violence against children and young people. We commend the Government of Rwanda for completing this important study, and pledge our full support to develop and implement the National Plan of Action in response to these survey findings. Violence against children is preventable. It is everyone’s responsibility to take urgent action to fight it,” said Oliver Petrovic,

The survey has been conducted under financial and technical support provided by the international Development Research Centre IDRC) the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).