Just before Christmas, 19 Aspire brides & their grooms said “I do” in a service coordinated by Aspire staff. The marriages are a profound step forward for the women in protecting themselves and their families, and preparing for the future.
Aspire, the year-long educational training program that Network for Africa supports in Rwanda, teaches its students about their legal rights, including marital rights. Many Rwandan women have “traditional marriages” in which they live with their partners, but these informal arrangements are not legally recognized. This means that a woman and her children are vulnerable to the whims of the man. Since the marriage is not recognized by the government, the woman is unable to benefit from Rwanda’s progressive laws that empower and protect women in the event of divorce or a partner’s death. Without legalizing her marriage, a woman in Rwanda has little recourse in claiming spousal or child support if her partner leaves her, and she may even lose any money or property that she brought into the relationship.
In other words, she is powerless and at the whim of her partner.
If her partner dies, a woman may have difficulty ensuring that she and their children can keep his possessions, including the land and house where the family had been living.
Aspire has learnt that in order to empower women and strengthen families, men must be included in the discussion and learning process, too. To that end, Aspire brought in two Rwandan organizations for training seminars. HAGURUKA is an organization that educates people on their legal rights, particularly women and children’s rights, and on marital law. It also provides pro bono legal services for women and children. RWAMREC, the Rwanda Men’s Resource Center, is committed to creating more healthy attitudes towards women in personal relationships and society, including putting an end to gender-based violence.
In addition to making a financial grant to Aspire to enable it to host the mass wedding, RWAMREC returned to hold further discussions with the newly married men, as well as more than 20 other husbands or partners of Aspire beneficiaries. RWAMREC talked about different types of gender-based violence, its consequences, and how to prevent them. They encouraged the men to change their personal behaviour for the good of their families and for the whole community, not only by ending violence, but also generally treating women and children with respect.
The men responded very enthusiastically and have shown an interest in attending other seminars, in addition to requesting literacy lessons. One of the seminar participants was an elected village leader who has since been talking positively in the community about the RWAMREC/Aspire course, alerting local leaders to the training. It is through the education and support of such leaders that communities begin to change and women and children are given the respect they deserve.
This is one of the many ways in which Aspire is making a profound difference in Kigali. Present at the wedding were six village leaders, a district representative, and two Kigali City officials. The day’s events were covered by local radio and two local newspapers. Since the wedding many more Aspire women and their partners have expressed the desire to legalize their marriages – a wonderful achievement that will lead to long-term change.
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RWAMREC’s distinctive and innovative mission focuses on mobilizing Rwandan men to support women’s leadership; to contribute to the eradication of men’s violence against women; and to serve as role models for the promotion of positive masculine behaviors. Building alliances and partnership with women organizations to promote women’s rights and interests is central.
(The website is in French. Try the Babel Fish website translation service if needed.)
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