Rwanda

In 2024, UN Women Rwanda �s strategic partnerships with the Government, UN system, CSOs and other partners, contributed to the transformation of negative social norms and stereotypes, creating enabling environments for advancing women and girls� rights and empowerment. Building on previous years� efforts in evidence-based advocacy informed by findings from UN Women commissioned assessments and studies, significant progress was made in legislative advancements for gender equality in Rwanda. A key part of this success is the integration of unpaid care in the National Male Engage strategy. UN Women provided policy advice, financial and technical support to finalize the Men Engaged Strategy. With further support from the CO, a dissemination plan was developed with key messages on gender equality, including men sharing domestic work. Transformed men and couples now champion unpaid care work redistribution, ending violence against women, and promote women's empowerment in their communities. UN Women through strategic partners with Legal Aid Forum (LAF), Rwanda Men Resource Centre and Action Aid among others also advocated for the inclusion of Unpaid Care Work in Rwanda�s new family law, adopted in June 2024. In its article 175, the law states that the value of unpaid care work carried out by one of the spouses or both is calculated between 10% and 39% of the property earned since their cohabitation after deducting the debts they contracted after the marriage. Evidence from LAF attest that this article is already informing and transforming judicial processes as lawyers are using it in courts to defend clients-mostly women in allocating property to couples in divorce cases. Again, with more Early Childhood Development Centers (ECDs) advocated for and supported by UN Women under the 3R programme, 584 women were able to work out their homes and increased their incomes and livelihoods. Furthermore, capacity building and advocacy efforts through community and national-level campaigns targeting government institutions, private sector, and CSOs helped challenge social norms and promoted positive masculinity. These efforts encouraged greater male engagement in gender equality, fostering respectful relationships and increased legal literacy. This shift is reflected a rise in the reporting of gender-based violence cases including teen pregnancies, which increased from 22,055 in 2023 to 22,454 in 2024, demonstrating heightened awareness and trust in the justice system. To address challenges in legal aid and access to justice for GBV victims, UN Women through its partners- LAF and HAGURUKA, led the development of the National Legal Aid Policy now awaiting cabinet approval. This policy will strengthen legal aid services and access to justice for GBV victims. Additionally, legal aid and access to justice have been integrated into the Justice, Reconciliation, Law and Order Sector Strategic Plan, prioritizing it as a critical pillar of the national justice system.

Rwanda has taken significant steps to mainstream gender in national policies, strategies, planning and budgeting processes and establishing a dedicated National Gender Machinery. However, gains in gender equality risk being lost, or progress retarded if concerted efforts do not address persistent issues such as negative societal norms that perpetuate barriers for women and girls� access to equal opportunities in social and economic spheres. UN Women continues to work toward addressing negative gender stereotypes, harmful social norms and gender-based violence that hold back women in Rwanda from achieving their full potential and venturing into historically male-dominated domains such as the extractive industry which is one of the primary economic contributing sectors to Rwanda's economic growth. As such, UN Women forged a strategic partnership with Rwanda Extractive Industry Workers Union (REWU), an umbrella organization of a Rwandan trade union which organizes all workers in mining and quarry companies and cooperatives in Rwanda since 2014. This has resulted in new employment opportunities for the women and girls of Rwanda, especially those in Muhanga and Gakenke districts which are the prominent mining districts. A baseline study on sexual harassment and gender-based violence in the mining sector in Rwanda was conducted which helped to initiate evidence-based advocacy and awareness raising on sexual harassment, women�s rights and GBV prevention and response in the extractive sector. A combination of initiatives to enhance women�s rights in mining and awareness raising through different channels including TV and radio programmes as well as face-to-face awareness-raising sessions resulted in an improved working environment in the sector. For instance, Rwanda Mining Board set a policy whereby Anti GBV committees are mandatory in each mine and quarry company/cooperative. Furthermore, a license renewal of a mining company is approved on condition of having shown how discrimination against women and girls at the workplace is addressed, as well as having an inclusive recruitment policy. 12 companies and cooperatives have installed suggestion boxes related to sexual harassment and GBV reporting at the workplace. Consequently, 576 women have broken the gender stereotypes and negative social norms and joined the mining and quarries sector in Muhanga and Gakenke districts in less than a year.The above intervention is in line with SDG goal 5 and target 5.1 �End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere� as well as Target 5.2� Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation�. It also contributes to the UNSDCF 2019-2024, outcome 4: �By 2024, people in Rwanda particularly the most vulnerable have increased resilience to both natural and man-made shocks and enjoy a life free from all forms of violence and discrimination.�