Rwanda

Question 1

What is the gender split in the Rwandan parliament?

Answer 1

• 56% MPs are female
• 44% male

Question 2

How is government policy created in Rwanda?

Answer 2

• gender lenses are used in the development of policies
  
  • means policy planned carefully to take into account the affect it may have on either gender
  • eg. Not cutting childcare funding, as this allows for single mothers to work and maintain household)

Question 3

What policies have been passed to reduce the gender gap?

Answer 3

• Investment in healthcare (malaria, HIV, HPV vaccines + reproductive health)
• Establishment of all female educational facilities eg. Aikiah Institute
• Gender based funding targets eg. Equal gender enrolment in schools in order to gain further funding, providing incentives
• Investment in basic sanitation, clean water, electricity
  
  • means girls can be educated instead of fetching water/resources

Question 4

What happened during the Rwandan Genocide?

Answer 4

• Tutsi minority oppressed by Hutu majority in power prior to genocide
• Hutu uprising in response to assassination of prime minister
• fought between RPF (Tutsi) and Rwandan government and paramilitary (Hutu)
• 800 000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu dead
• 500 000 raped

Question 5

Who rules Rwanda?

Answer 5

• RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front)
• Paul Kagame is President since 2000
  
  • is leader of RPF

Question 6

How has human rights been reduced in Rwanda?

Answer 6

• opposition MPs, media and senior officials are silenced or even murdered
• RPF is a police state, constant monitoring of activity
  
  • strict fines; must do as those with power say eg. Dig communal ditches
• President Kagame has driven out Hutu out of Rwanda, to prevent them from rising up

Question 7

How is gender equality measured?

Answer 7

• Gender Equality Index
  
  • Europe is highest (Switzerland and Slovenia)
  • Africa lower

Question 8

What reasons are there for the gender gap?

Answer 8

• Historical, religious, economic or cultural atmosphere that makes it hard to justify equality of opportunities
  
  • usually is a distortion of religious beliefs
• lack of access to power and decision making for women to express their opinion
• limited access to childcare
• adherence to Sharia law means that women may not have same rights as men
  
  • however, still have increasingly equal access to education

Question 9

What has happened in countries where women have been provided equal rights and opportunities?

Answer 9

• Increased education of girls in Bangladesh has resulted in later marriages and fall in birth and maternal mortality rates
  
  • fall in birth rate may not be desirable when trying to fix demographic structure
• In Rwanda has resulted in participation in all sectors of society
  
  • allowing for more diverse viewpoints