VZCZCXYZ0010
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLGB #0464/01 1351415
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151415Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2750
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC

UNCLAS KIGALI 000464 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/C, DRL, AND G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PHUM ELAB SOCI RW
SUBJECT:  Rwandan Government Action on Child Protection and 
Gender-Based Violence 
 
¶1. Summary:  During a May 8 courtesy call on the Minister in 
Charge of Family and Gender Promotion in the Prime 
Minister's Office, Ambassador underscored USG interest in 
gender issues, in particular trafficking in persons, and 
Embassy's desire to provide assistance to the GOR to combat 
child prostitution.  The Minister noted that Rwandan law 
defines "trafficking" as having a cross-border element and 
that Rwanda has no such cases.  The GOR has established a 
task force and drafted legislation to address the issue of 
an estimated 6,500 street children.  It also has plans to 
strengthen the 2001 law on the protection of children 
against violence.  End summary. 
 
¶2. Ambassador met with Valerie Nyirahabineza, Minister in 
Charge of Family and Gender Promotion in the Prime 
Minister's Office, on May 8 to emphasize the importance of 
the issue of trafficking in persons and to discuss ways in 
which the U.S. and Rwanda can cooperate to combat the 
problem.  He noted that while many of our assistance 
programs, such as our USD 71 million HIV-AIDS program in 
Rwanda, may indirectly benefit women and street children, 
Embassy wanted to explore possibilities for addressing the 
specific issue of trafficking in persons. 
 
¶3.  He explained that the USG definition of "trafficking" is 
not limited to cross-border incidents but includes 
prostitution of any minor under the age of 18, who is 
considered a trafficking "victim."  Because the U.S. 
considers trafficking in persons a serious crime, it is 
exploring ways to combat the problem worldwide.  He asked 
the Minister how best the U.S. and Rwanda could cooperate on 
combating trafficking in general, and child prostitution in 
particular. 
 
¶4. The Minister recalled that in 2005 the GOR received a 
critical report on trafficking of women and children from 
NGO "Sharing Rwanda."  The GOR believed this report 
exaggerated the extent of the problem and issued a response. 
While the GOR itself has not surveyed the extent of the 
problem, the Minister noted that as a result of the genocide 
and widespread poverty, Rwanda has small groups of street 
children, some of whom have become prostitutes. 
 
¶5. She explained that under Rwandan law "trafficking" is 
defined as including the crossing of international borders 
and that Rwanda does not have such cases, but has other 
problems as a consequence of the genocide, including poverty 
and large numbers of widows and orphans.  The GOR has 
established a task force comprised of the Ministries of 
Justice and Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor General's 
Office, and the National Police to focus on rape, security, 
and prostitution. 
 
¶6. The Minister noted that the GOR has plans to further 
address the problem of street children.  Currently, there is 
a draft law to protect street children by targeting 
operators of establishments that provide venues for child 
prostitution, e.g., hotels and cinema halls.  Ambassador 
commented that it has been very difficult to obtain reliable 
information on the extent and nature of child prostitution 
and ways to address the issue.  Noting that Sharing Rwanda 
estimated in 2000 that there were 2,140 child prostitutes in 
Rwanda, he asked the Minister if she knew the source of that 
information and whether the GOR had its own statistics. 
 
¶7. The Minister characterized Sharing Rwanda's data as 
incorrect and said she was not aware of the source and that 
her office only considers official data provided by the 
National Police, Ministry of Justice, or the Prosecutor 
General.  She cited an estimate of 6,500 street children, 
some of whom are prostitutes, but noted that this estimate 
was made one year after the 1994 genocide.  She said that 
UNICEF has found that the number of street children is not 
increasing. 
 
¶8. She observed that gender-based violence is the big 
problem in Rwanda and that prostitution is considered one 
aspect of this broader problem.  She explained that the act 
of prostitution is illegal both for the client and the 
prostitute.  The National Unity and Reconciliation 
Commission is conducting a survey on the impact of genocide 
on gender-based violence, including prostitution, and 
developing policy regarding gender-based violence with 
assistance from international consultants.  In addition, the 
Minister is negotiating with other agencies to develop 
legislation to provide greater protection for the victims of 
such violence. 
 
¶9. Ambassador pointed out that while the Embassy recognizes 
the larger picture of gender-based violence, it is also 
 
focused on the specific issue of child prostitution because 
the U.S. is very concerned about abuse of minors.  While 
child prostitution is a small issue in Rwanda, the Embassy 
is prepared to fund Sharing Rwanda to support efforts to 
combat child prostitution but wants to ensure that its work 
is coordinated with the GOR.  Ambassador promised to provide 
samples of draft anti-trafficking legislation from two other 
African countries for consideration by the GOR, and urged 
Rwanda to adopt similar legislation.  The Minister replied 
that the samples would be very helpful as the GOR moves to 
amend its 2001 law to strengthen protection of children 
against violence. 
 
Arietti