To: info@gov.rw

CC: info@primature.gov.rw, info@minijust.gov.rw, info@migeprof.gov.rw, info@police.gov.rw

To End the Policing, Harassment, and Violence Against Women and Girls in all their diversity, Rwanda

We, the undersigned citizens, feminists, youth, civil society actors and allies, are deeply concerned about the rise in policing of bodies of women and girls in all their diversity, abuse, harassment, intimidation and public humiliation at the hands of law enforcement bodies and general public, specifically the national police. This adds to pre-existing high rates of different forms of Gender Based Violence experienced every day by women and girls in all their diversity in Rwanda.

OUR CONCERN

Our concern follows the public statement by the Rwanda National Police spokesperson announcing new measures to curb indecency described in Kinyarwanda as “kwiyandarika, ubwomanzi, uburara, ubusinzi, ubusambanyi, ico, umwanda”. Whereas “ public indecency” is still surprisingly stipulated as a crime under the  law determining offenses and penalties Code Article 143 of Law Nº 68/2018 of 30/08/2018 and the current law preventing and punishing Gender Based Violence, which contradicts all international and regional Human rights instruments, including those that protect women and girls’ rights that Rwanda has ratified, the term remains ambiguous, leaving  law enforcers to apply it subjectively according to one’s personal understanding of what is decent or indecent.  Decency is subject to one’s interpretation, values, and morals that are largely influenced by colonial, religious, and undefined cultural standards that vary from one person to another. In a Patriarchal society like Rwanda, this results into the enforcement of such subjective measures primarily on women, girls, and other marginalized communities.

Following the statement, reports emerged of women and girls being subjected to increased scrutiny of their clothing and bodies, including being denied entry to public events and spaces, being harassed publicly, wrongfully arrested, threatened to violence,  and inappropriately searched by male officers.

The implementation of these new measures has evidently been applied only to women and young girls, which raises serious concerns about not only the right to freedom but also the safety of women and girls in Rwanda, countrywide. These risks and dangers of ambiguous and discriminatory nature of application of measures are seen through the rise in negative attitudes men and young men have, off and on social media encouraging rape culture, inciting violence and rape on women and girls who refuse to comply under the guise of following state’s laws and/or the Rwandan culture, thus advancing a dangerous and conservative attitude that rape is the fault of women and girls depending on what they are wearing, while excusing the act, which deepens stigma and undoes the gains we have made as a state. A state that is proud to be a global gender equality champion.

We reject the idea that bodies of women and girls in all their diversity, clothing, or any other personal choices should be treated as legislative matters requiring policing, criminalization, public humiliation, and parading. Bodily autonomy becoming a ground for legislation retracts and regresses women and girls’ rights. Women have the right to bodily autonomy, dignity, safety, freedom of movement, respect and equal participation in public life, and the right to protection from GBV, Sexual abuse and harassment. No woman or girl should be humiliated, denied access to public spaces, harassed, or subjected to violence because of their clothing, expression, or appearance.

WE DEMAND ACTION

We call upon the Government of Rwanda, Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, Ministry of Justice and the Rwanda National Police to:

1. END THE POLICING OF WOMEN AND GIRLS’ BODIES.
   Immediately end measures and practices targeting, humiliating, or harassing women and girls in all their diversity because of their clothing, appearance, or perceived “indecency.”
2. PROTECT WOMEN AND GIRLS’ RIGHT TO PUBLIC SPACE.
   No women or girl should be denied entry to an event, public space, or service because of subjective, harmful, and sex discriminatory moral standards about their clothing, expression, and appearance by any law enforcement officer, service provider, or general public.
3. STOP BLAMING WOMEN AND GIRLS FOR MEN’S VIOLENCE,REPEAL DISCRIMINATORY LAWS.
   Public institutions, laws, policies, and programs must make it unequivocally clear that responsibility for GBV, sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment lies with perpetrators—not on victims- and that women and girls’ clothing, behavior, or presence is not consent for their rights being violated. We therefore demand repealing of all articles and laws that criminalize women and girls’ bodies in the guise of “decency”, including articles under the current Penal code and Law preventing and punishing GBV and to comply with ratified international and regional treaties and conventions. In addition, Rwanda is a secular state. Laws, policies and measures that are clearly based on colonial, sex discriminatory religious or undefined, subjective and ever-changing cultural/traditional values should must be repealed.

4. TAKE GBV, SEXUAL EXPLOITATION, ABUSE AND HARRASSMENT (SEAH) SERIOUSLY.
   Respond urgently to reports and testimonies of GBV and SEAH including Technology facilitated GBV (TFGBV) and establish accessible and inclusive reporting mechanisms, and ensure victims and survivors receive appropriate, sustained and holistic support to legal, psychological, and socio-economic support based on a victim-centered approach and needs.
5. HOLD PERPETRATORS ACCOUNTABLE. No institution, man, or security officer should feel entitled to violate bodies of women and girls in all their diversity, and their rights, and no perpetrator should be protected by silence, institutional inaction, superficial action, or victim-blaming. National police stating, after the violence has been committed, that they have arrested police officers who are implementing given measures and orders does not prove to be sufficient evidence and/or a sustainable solution for systemic and structural issues that are attached to the ambiguous law on indecency and its subjective application. Take action and take it immediately to reverse rape inciting and rape culture that is currently taking place!

6. LISTEN TO WOMEN AND GIRLS.
   Meaningfully, intentionally and proactively, engage feminist organizations, groups and movements, women’s rights organizations, youth movements, survivors, and affected communities in law reform processes, developing policies and programs concerning women and girls’ safety and bodily autonomy.

To every feminist, young person, women’s rights defender, civil society organization, every survivor, every ally, and every person who believes in the dignity and equality to stand together against the policing of bodies of women and girls in all their diversity, becoming legislative grounds.

• Stand with us.
• Sign this petition.
• Speak out.
• Challenge victim-blaming.
• Protect survivors.
• Demand accountability.

Because this is not only about what a woman wears. It is about who gets to decide what happens to a woman’s body. And that decision belongs to her.

We urge the Government of Rwanda to act now to protect women and girls’ dignity, autonomy, safety, and fundamental rights.

WE DEMAND A RWANDA WHERE WOMEN AND GIRLS CAN EXIST FREELY AND SAFELY.

Our bodies are not a crime.
Our clothing is not consent.
Our freedom is not indecency.
Our safety is not negotiable.

Our Rights are worth upholding.

Our lives are worth protecting.

WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED.
WE WILL NOT BE CONTROLLED.
WE WILL NOT BE AFRAID.