Fight GBV in your communities-Miss Rwanda 2021 Contestants urged
Miss Rwanda 2021 contestants have been urged to use their status when they go back home, to become advocates against Sexual and Gender Based Violence.
The call was made by Marie Immaculee Ingabire, the chairperson of Transparency International-Rwanda Chapter, during an interacting session that focussed on the role of girls in combating sexual and gender-based violence.
Ingabire started the Wednesday session by giving the girls a history of the Rwandan woman, who for centuries lived under patriarchal practices that only put women among the ‘properties’ men possessed.
“You all know the conservative nature of the society we were born in. Women and girls faced many challenges that left them discriminated, with no place in society,”
“You are lucky to be born and to grow up under this government, which has prioritised giving women and girls their place in society and the same rights as men and boys. You have what it takes to be changemakers,” Ingabire told the contestants.
Ingabire said that back in the day, they would say a woman’s degree was a man and girls grew up knowing that their purpose in life was to marry a successful man in order to make it in life.
“Can you look for a job and present a man as your certificate? No. So you need to study and get your degrees and then after that you can be whatever you want to be, on your own terms,” she said.
She said that the biggest challenge the country faces today is violence against women and sexual exploitation of girls, despite efforts of the governments and other stakeholders who have invested heavily in preventing the two vices.
Ingabire, who is also the board chair of Rwanda Women’s Network, attributed these challenges to the economic situation, where girls get tempted by gifts and money to sleep with men, who sexually abuse and exploit them.
“Today we have a problem of teenage pregnancies which we are facing as a country. The numbers are really high and those are just cases we know about but there many girls out there being sexually abused,”
“We have cases of girls who get pregnant and they are chased from home. Parents disown their own children. Fathers send away their pregnant daughters and blame it on their mothers,” Ingabire said.
Once they are banished from home, they go out there and give birth, then they don’t have the resources, they drop out of school and end up on the streets and eventually become prostitutes -they blame it on poverty.
Ingabire however told the girls that poverty should never be an excuse for anything but rather the issue should be seen in a two-fold way -girls who want quick things and men who are willing to offer them to exploit the girls.
She said there are cases where ‘moto riders’ impregnate school girls just over a ride to and from school, a phone and a few snacks, which eventually turn into sexual exploitation.
In light of the society’s challenges and perversions which are unlikely to change today or tomorrow, Ingabire told the contestants that it is up to them to make decisions that will determine their future, without putting it in the hands of someone else.
“I know from here, now that you are Miss Rwanda contestants, you will be targeted by men who will promise you heaven on earth and boys who will promise to marry you. You should be aware that you will be considered ‘trophies’ because some men find pride in having a ‘Miss’,”
“It is up to you to say that enough is enough. I will not listen to anyone misleading me, I will not be moved by small gifts and promises and instead use the platform you got to advance your goals,” Ingabire said.
On her part, Ingabire said that she has taken a decision to focus on the girls who have not given birth yet to encourage them to stay focused because there is a lot to salvage.
“I want to encourage you to focus on your education. You have a choice to make. Choose between small gifts that will lead you into pregnancy and becoming someone big in society,”
“As Miss Rwanda contestants, you have a good platform already. I believe it does not stop here since there will be only one Miss Rwanda. But I believe you can use the status you have got from here to be advocates of change in your societies,” she said.
She said that being in a beauty pageant or becoming Miss Rwanda, as a matter of fact, is not enough.
“After here go and study, get your degrees and be what you want to be. You cannot be a Minister or Speaker of Parliament just because you are Miss Rwanda. You need more credentials to your name,” Ingabire said.
She encouraged the girls to resist the temptations that will come with their newly acquired status because they will be short term and they will impact on their long-term plans.
The session was aimed at giving the girls an understanding of the challenges they need to face in the Rwandan society and to prepare them mentally ahead of the Miss Rwanda 2021 finale set for Saturday, March 20, 2021, at Intare Arena.
The final will be broadcast on Rwanda Broadcasting Agency’s KC2 channel from 7pm for people in Rwanda, while those outside Rwanda can join by clicking on this link: www.missrwanda.rw/grand-finale
