Sixty nurses working in the 48 hospitals with ‘Isange One Stop Centers’ are undergoing training to collect and preserve forensic evidence for gender-based violence and child abuse cases. This training aims to enhance the level of justice provided to victims. The five-day training is being conducted by the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) in partnership with UN Women, starting on June 10, 2024, at the Rwanda National Police Headquarters in Kigali.
The Secretary General of the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), Col (Rtd) Jeannot Ruhunga, stated that this is the first group to receive training, but it will be an ongoing effort. He urged the 60 nurses to prioritize the health of the victims while also meticulously preserving evidence to ensure proper justice.
Emma Carine Uwantege, an expert from UN Women Rwanda, emphasized the importance of training nurses, who are often the first point of contact for victims.
She said, “A nurse is the first person a victim encounters; they talk to the victim and collect evidence. If the interaction is handled poorly, the victim might withhold critical information needed for justice to pursue the perpetrator.”
“The purpose is to ensure they fully understand their responsibilities, how to receive the victim, how to communicate with them, and how to collect and preserve evidence. This evidence is crucial for justice to be served. If hospitals do not handle this properly, then we are not achieving our goal.”
Michel Rwumbuguza, a nurse at Rutongo Hospital in Rulindo District, is one of the trainees. He believes the training will help them care for victims and preserve evidence that can be used in legal proceedings, a task previously mostly handled by doctors, who are often few and overworked.
He said, “Previously, evidence was collected by doctors, and with only one doctor and frequent staff changes in hospitals, evidence could be lost. Now, we plan to have nurses also involved in evidence collection since we are the first to receive the victims.”
Dr. Cyiza François Regis, head of the department responsible for maternal and child health programs at the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), which also oversees programs for victims of abuse, stated that there were existing training programs for healthcare workers handling victims. However, this new training aims to further improve their knowledge and skills.
According to the Rwanda Investigation Bureau, over the past five years (2018-2023), 38,812 cases of gender-based violence were investigated, and 24,051 cases of child abuse were pursued.
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