Sexual violence perpetrated on Tutsi women during the genocide
Sexual violence was one of the instruments of persecution carried out on Tutsi women during the genocide against Tutsis. They were many forms of sexual violence but the main one was rape.
In the report done by Avega agahozo in 1999, it showed that those who were raped were mainly young women aged between 20 to 55 years.
Image of Tutsi women in the preparation of the genocide against Tutsis.
As we quote this report of Avega Agahozo and other paper, during the Genocide the media carried out hatred propaganda against the Tutsi women saying that they were dangerous because they used their beauty to get jobs in NGOs, embassies and which jobs were supposed to go to Hutu women, Also that their beauty was used to infiltrate everywhere and betray the country.
In the 10 rules of the Hutu which were published by the newspaper Kangura in 1990, four of them were about sensitizing hate against the Tutsi women.
Therefore those media outposts were not only calling for killing the Tutsi women but also raping them.
During the Genocide against Tutsis
During the 1994 Tutsi genocide, women suffered from various atrocities. In the research carried out by avega agahozo they showed that the following kind of abuse happened:
• Sexual violence
• injuries
• Sequestration
• stripping naked
• Physical torture
• Public humiliation
• Violent death
The following abuse in sexual violence took place:
1. Individual or gang rape
2. Forced incest by children or the victim’s parents.
3. Introduction of harmful objects or products into the vagina.
4. Infection with HIV-Aids.
That report continues to say spoiling women’s sex aimed among other to prevent the victim procreation if ever she managed to survive.
In another study carried out by Justine U shows that the Tutsi women were used as sex slaves and were made to marry the interahamwe by force.
Consequences
The consequences on those who were abused are considerable on both the body and the mind.
There are those who became disabled completely, died and those who were severely traumatized.
Now many women managed to rebuild themselves but for sure no one has ever known the number of those who were abused because some did not talk about what happened to them.
Out of the 1,074,017 people killed during the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi 43.3% were women as per the ministry of administration, information and social affairs estimates of 2002
References
Survey on violence against women in Rwanda, avega-agahozo 1999
Study on the psychosocial and Economic conditions of women victims after the 1994 genocide against Tutsi, case study kicukiro
Dialogue: 15 years after the genocide, balance and perspective
Astrida Uwera