 Initiatives for Peace and Human Rights (IPHR) continues to strengthen its presence in the Great Lakes region in order to enhance the culture of peace through human rights and good governance education. It is in this framework that legal personality has been conferred to IPHR-Burundi and IPHR-DRC by respectively the Ordinance of the Ministry of Interior No.530/333 of 3 March 2014 and the Decree of the Minister of Justice and human rights No.160/CAB/MIN/J&DH/2014. During the long months that the procedure for granting legal personality took, IPHR never abandoned to pursue its mission in these two countries. IPHR’s activities were then conducted on the basis of provisional authorizations issued by the competent authorities. It goes without saying that these two ministerial acts are of paramount importance since they recognize IPHR to hold rights and obligations, as an organization, in each of these countries. It follows that IPHR-IPDH expects greater involvement of local, regional and international partners in the implementation of its actions in relation with building the capacity of individuals, communities and local authorities (through training), researching, and advocating for human rights and good governance in the Great Lakes region, not to mention facilitating access to justice for the poor.  In the coming years, IPHR intends to focus more on the promotion and protection of economic and social rights for the well-being of individuals and communities living in the Great Lakes region.
Moreover, IPHR is aware that the Great Lakes does not live cut off from the world. Therefore, even though the peace and stability of this region are the primary responsibility of its daughters and son, the Great Lakes region also remains dependent on the contribution of the international community as a whole. It is in this context that the creation of Stichting Initiatives for Peace and Human Rights (SIPHR) was legalized in the city of Utrecht in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, on 28 April 2014 with the primary purpose of raising funds to finance activities of local NGOs based in the African Great lakes in their work of education on human rights and good governance. More specifically, the funds raised by SIPHR are intended to finance projects aiming at (1) the promotion and protection of human rights including, among others, free access to justice for vulnerable individuals and groups such as women, children, people living with disability, LGBT, people living with HIV/AIDS, etc., (2) the enhancement of peace-building and reconciliation, (3) the strengthening of good governance and the rule of law, and (4) the promotion of networking among organizations pursuing the objectives mentioned above . It is strongly believed within IPHR family that the synergy between the national organizations of Burundi, DR Congo and Rwanda and SIPHR in Netherlands will impact in a sustainable way on the lives of men, women, children, youth and old in this region long scarred by cyclic armed conflicts, dramatically weak institutions and recurring human rights violations.
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 On 20-22 August 2013 Mr Yves Sezirahiga, the head of Human Rights and Access to Justice unit of IPHR, participated in a regional workshop on "Abortion, Reproductive Rights and the Role of Lawyers" that was organized in Nairobi by Ipas. This training brought together lawyers working in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Nigeria, Zambia and Rwanda who are well versed in reproductive rights and committed to promoting access to safe abortion.
The objectives of the workshop were: (1) to share their work promoting reproductive rights and access to safe abortion and learn from others, (2) to build capacity in promoting abortion rights through constitutional reform, improving access to medication abortion, law reform, working with law enforcement, and communications, and (3) to cultivate relationships among lawyers working on abortion in the region. Like many african countries, Rwanda has recently introduced restrictive provisions related to abortion in the Penal Code. According to article 165 of new Penal Code (2012) of Rwanda, abortion can be accepted only in case of rape, incest, forced marriage or when the continuation of pregnancy endangers the mother's life. Apart from the last case, in the three other circumstances abortion can only be authorized by a court. This really threatens the reproductive rights of women and girls in Rwanda. During the training, Mr Yves did a presentation where he raised the issue caused by the criminalization of abortion under Rwandan law. He recalled Rwanda's international obligations especially regarding Maputo Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights on the Rights of women in Africa in its article 14(a) and (c) enjoining State parties to "insure that the right to health of women, including sexual and reproductive health is respected and promoted. This includes: a) the right to control their fertility [...] and c) the right to choose any method of contraception". IPHR is strongly advocating for the promotion of reproductive rights for all Rwandan women. This workshop was part of our regional networking and efforts to equip IPHR staff with necessary knowledge and skills to better promote women's rights. A project to raise the awareness of the Rwandan judiciary (judges, prosecutors, police, and lawyers) about women's reproductive rights is underway in a perspective of promoting access to safe abortion.  Dr Matthieu Bokota with Albinos' community in Kisangani after LiCoProMa provided exercise books and pens to young albinos to go backto school. Life these past few weeks looks very different than it did a month ago. Instead of attending human rights trainings and falling asleep under mosquito nets, I am spending my hours in class and, well…sleeping less. However, fortunately, some things stay the same. I am delighted and honored to be able to continue working with both Initiatives for Peace and Human Rights (IPHR) and LiCoProMa throughout this next year! Over the past few months, I’ve mentioned a great deal about the organization and work of IPHR, but I have not done this for LiCoProMa. Below is a brief overview of LiCoProMa, the challenges it faces, and one of the driving members of the organization– Francis Mbembe. About LiCoProMa LiCoProMa stands for Ligue Congolaise pour la Promotion des Droits des Personnes Vulnerables et/ou Marginalisées (in English: Congolese League for the Promotion of Rights of Vulnerable and Marginalized Persons) and is a non-profit organization that runs solely on volunteer donations. Founded in 1998, during the Second Congo War, LiCoProMa was originally created to provide relief to the massive human rights violations occurring in Kisangani (northeastern DRC) at that time. Since 1998, LiCoProMa has moved and evolved. Today, LiCoProMa is based out of Goma, DRC, and works to serve the following communities in the following ways*:
 Francis Mbembe with Mwenyemali. Thanks to LiCoProMa’s help with hospital bills and the purchase of the vehicle displayed, Mwenyemali now runs his own transportation business and is able to support his family.
 Carine (in green) was chased and beaten from her restaurant for hosting white people (e.g. – me) and LGBTI members
Challenges/Needs LiCoProMa’s #1 need – money. This is probably no surprise to anyone in the NGO world who knows how valuable and difficult money is to come by. LiCoProMa needs money to supplement the travel costs of health care workers and lawyers, to complete a guarded compound where LGBTI members can safely seek shelter, to supplement the volunteer time of lead staff members, and to pay for the healthcare supplies necessary for offering routine health checks. However, while acknowledging this predominant need, LiCoProMa also realizes the importance of self-sufficiency and innovation. Thus, the members of LiCoProMa continue to seek alternative solutions to their financial shortcomings. For example, LiCoProMa has recently collaborated with a lawyer and a doctor in Goma who are willing to offer their services for free on a very restricted schedule. While these services are limited, they are nevertheless a great contribution towards realizing LiCoProMa’s mission: “Pour que cesse la discrimination” (in English: “To end discrimination”). In addition to financial challenges, LiCoProMa also faces community challenges – most of which stem from the community’s hostility toward LiCoProMa’s work with LGBTI members. A few months ago, LiCoProMa’s office was burned down because of their association with the LGBTI community. Furthermore, LiCoProMa recently conducted an anonymous, randomized survey on how members of the Goma community respond to LGBTI members. The result: approximately 85% of the 1000 people surveyed expressed hostility towards the LGBTI community. Clear examples of this hostility include LiCoProMa’s LGBTI members being frequently chased and/or attacked because of their identity. In fact, sadly, after my visit to Goma in July, Carine (pictured below) was attacked for hosting a discussion with LGBTI members and white people (e.g. – me) in her restaurant.  Francis talking with a member of the albino community. This woman spends all the day selling maize along the road in Kisangani despite her fragile skin under the sun. While LiCoProMa realizes that the long term solution to this discrimination requires internal organization, self-agency, determination, and patience, they also believe an appropriate short term response is to provide a safe, guarded, compound for LGBTI members to retreat to, as needed. Francis One of the leading-, and founding-, members of LiCoProMa is Francis Mbembe.*** In addition to being the Principal Coordinator of LiCoProMa, Francis is also one of the most determined, jovial, humanitarian individuals I have ever met. In 1998, at the cusp of the Second Congo War and the human tragedy that accompanied it, Francis enrolled in school to study Human Rights. During this time, Francis learned the following:
 Francis and I stopping to pose for a photo (that’s Goma in the background) Francis’ consistent concern and care for others are inspiring, as is his proclivity toward action. For example, just a few weeks ago, after visiting an IDP camp in Kanyaruchinya, Francis went back to that camp to pass out as much rice and pens as he was personally able to afford. Francis believes that a slow, persistent, paced fight leads to eventual success…and Francis is fighting. ________________ * This is a very brief overview. If you would like more information on any one of these communities and the services LiCoProMa is working to provide, please email me at mminter@advocacynet.org **At present, many LGBTI members are discriminated against in all life capacities and see prostitution as the only possible career path to putting food on the table. However, prostitution has severe and negative consequences that require many who identify as L,G,B,T, or I to risk their lives daily in order to live one more day. ***LiCoProMa is organized into branches, with one person coordinating any given sector. For example, LiCoProMa’s Nadia Kanyankore is the Coordinator for the LGBTI sector, Dr. Matthieu Bokota is the Coordinator for the Albino sector, etc. Francis is the Principal Coordinator that oversees the work of all LiCoProMa sectors.  (The following blog post is written by Mallory Minter, IPHR's first international intern.)
IPHR believes that human rights education is instrumental in creating a society defined by justice and peaceful coexistence. IPHR also acknowledges the evident need for women’s rights education in proliferating human rights. Women’s rights education is critical. This education lets a woman know she has legally-defensible, just options. This education is what determines, for example, whether a woman claims what is legally entitled to her after her marriage ends or whether she instead walks away with nothing, taking to the streets to make ends meet. Thus, in quest of both augmenting justice and women’s welfare (and, on a larger scale, human welfare…after all, women’s progress is human progress), IPHR recently conducted a human rights training for widows. During this training, widows were explained their family rights, rights to succession, and more. (To read more about women’s rights in Rwanda, select this link — page 10 is where it really gets good!) At the end of the training, these widows were also given free consultation regarding any legal dilemmas they currently face. (The following blog post is written by Mallory Minter, IPHR's first international intern.) This 4-minute film details the work of the Legal Aid Clinic – one of the many venues to which IPHR freely donates its services. Specifically, this film captures the story of one woman, Mukamuhire. Here, Mukamuhire explains why she has traveled three days to the Legal Aid Clinic, the situation that brought her there, and what help she has received. Mukamuhire also tells what she thinks about the idea of a Mobile Legal Aid Clinic – an initiative that IPHR is strongly pursuing and hopes to implement soon, once they have the needed resources. This film was shot on location in Butare, Rwanda. Hopefully it will give you a good idea of the cases that IPHR assists with on a daily basis. (The following blog post is written by Mallory Minter, IPHR's first international intern.) During this past week, I had the opportunity to travel to Gishamvu (located in the southwestern part of Rwanda) with IPHR’s Yves. At this event, Yves sat with many poor Rwandans who have heavy legal matters on their shoulders. He listened to their stories, heard their concerns, and offered free legal advice on their best course of legal action. To see more photos of IPHR's work in Gishamvu, visit IPHR's Flickr page.   (The following blog post is written by Mallory Minter, IPHR's first international intern.)
During this past week, I attended an IPHR-led workshop for femmes en détresse. This title literally translates to mean “women in distress” and, more accurately, refers to women who are/have been beaten, oppressed or mistreated by their partners. IPHR works to educate these women on their rights so that they can, in turn, use the law to defend themselves. During this two-day training, members of IPHR explained to the participants their rights in Rwanda as women, as partners, and as mothers. Additionally, at the end of the workshop, the lawyers of IPHR held individual one-on-one consultations with the women, offering them both free legal advice and defense in court (as needed). In order to better convey the situations of these women and the impact that IPHR’s work has on their lives, I want to share a few Q&As posed during this training.* Question: How can I help my son? Context: When she was young, Meren had a son. Soon after becoming pregnant, the son’s father ran away, leaving Meren and the baby alone. A few years later, Meren met another man and the two of them started a life together. They now have a home and children together. However, Meren’s new partner does not approve of Meren’s first son and wants nothing to do with him. In fact, in the past he would beat and harass the son until, eventually, the son took to the streets. For years now, Meren’s first son has been living on the streets. While she loves her son and wishes for his safety, she is not in a position to leave her current partner nor can she guarantee her son will be safe if he returns home. Meren wants to help her son and to ensure that he has the means necessary to live. Answer: Understanding Meren’s situation and limitations, IPHR recommends that Meren tries to find the son’s real father. IPHR also recommends that Meren ensures that her first son is legally registered to the father in order to guarantee his rights of inheritance. These rights of inheritance are very important in Rwanda since they often include plots of land, shelter, and cattle – critical assets to life in Rwanda. Furthermore, when Meren finds the son’s real father, she should seek to unify the two which, if all goes well, will hopefully give the son a safe place to live as well as will allow the father and son to forge a relationship that should have commenced years ago. Question: How can I see my baby and make sure he is protected? Context: Esther’s baby was stolen. The thief is the baby’s father who, after stealing the baby, changed the baby’s legal name and placed him under the care of his grandfather. Esther once confronted the father and his new wife, but was beaten by the man’s wife. Esther does not hope to gain custody of the baby nor to get him back because she knows that she does not have the financial means necessary to care for the baby. Rather, what Esther wants is to have access to the child and to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the baby is legally registered to the father so that, when the time comes, he will inherit many life necessities. Answer: Esther’s case is complicated and involves a great deal of deliberation and planning. IPHR and Esther will work together over the coming weeks to fully address her situation. However, upon initial response, IPHR encourages Esther to find out from authorities if the baby is legally registered to the father. Once this information is known, IPHR will work with Esther to help her gain access to her baby and to guarantee the child’s right to succession. Question: How can I exercise my rights? Context: Alice is married to a man who recently sold two of their cows without her consent (which is illegal according to Rwandan law). Actions like this are common within Alice’s marriage and Alice wants to take legal action. But she is afraid. If Alice presents her case to the court, her husband has promised that he will kill her. Answer: There is no clear answer, but IPHR will work with Alice and the police to ensure her safety and the protection of her human rights. As you can see, there is a profound need in Rwanda for the education and protection of women’s rights. The members of IPHR recognize this need and work to meet it as best they can. *Names of the women in the Q&A have been changed in order to protect their identity.  (The following blog post is written by Mallory Minter, IPHR's first international intern.)
In addition to touring Butare’s tribunal and police station this past week, I also attended a two-day workshop for vulnerable women. First things first – let’s define “vulnerable women”. IPHR uses this term to identify women who are single mothers, who are impoverished, who self-identify as depressed, and/or who simply have no family or close community to turn to. Metaphorically speaking, these women are swimming across the Atlantic Ocean with only one arm. This workshop, led by IPHR’s Yves and run in partnership with the Igiti Cy’ubugingo Center (the name roughly translates to “Tree of Hope”), seeks to educate women of their rights as they relate to family law, gender-based violence, and succession (aka – inheritance). For example, suppose you are a Rwandan woman. You are one of 10 daughters and your parents have died. According to Rwandan law, your parents’ assets will be split among all 10 daughters evenly, unless there is written documentation expressing otherwise. However, one of your sisters forges a document stating that the parents have selected her as the sole inheritor of their possessions. The court accepts this document and you no longer have the right to any of your inheritance. You are left with nothing from your family. This is the reality of one of the women who attended the workshop this past week. By teaching women about their legal/equal rights concerning issues such as marriage and inheritance, this workshop serves to empower women like this one. Furthermore, considering the fact that women in Rwanda only recently gained the legal right to inheritance in November 1999, many women are still unaware of what is legally entitled to them. Education initiatives like this workshop are critical to closing the human rights gap currently lying between both genders in Rwanda. The ultimate goal of this conference is to break the silence. In fact, at the end of the first day of this two-day workshop, Yves urged the women to speak out and spread the word. As Yves clearly stated (in Kinyarwanda – so I’m paraphrasing here): education is the strongest force to fight gender-based violence and is the only way to ensure that women fully exercise their equal rights.  (The following blog post is written by Mallory Minter, IPHR's first international intern.)
I spent this past week in Butare. At the beginning of the week, Raymond, one of the core lawyers with IPHR, and I traveled to the tribunal in Butare in order to offer free legal assistance to minors being tried for a crime (okay, Raymond was offering legal assistance; I was there to observe and learn). Unfortunately, the process for minors being tried will not begin until July 1st. So, we will return then for work. Nevertheless, the day was still a great opportunity to tour Butare’s tribunal and police station in order to get a sense of where things happen. So, that’s exactly what we did. And during our tour I was able to speak with Raymond and get a good understanding of how his work is organized. Raymond volunteers his legal services to minors (those under 21 years of age) who are accused of committing crimes. In this instance, IPHR works in collaboration with the Rwandan Ministry of Justice. Specifically, the Ministry of Justice organizes where lawyers will serve pro-bono. Having been assigned to serve the city of Butare, IPHR’s Raymond usually visits Butare once every 2 weeks and, on average, defends 10-12 minors per month. The process works like this: a minor is accused of committing a crime, the minor is arrested, and the minor is detained in the police station. From here, the minor is eventually brought to a prosecutor’s office where he is investigated and encouraged to admit to any crime he/she has committed. This is where lawyers, such as IPHR’s Raymond, steps in. Lawyers like Raymond offer much needed support to minors who are in an intimidating position and do not yet have the savoir-faire necessary to know how to handle the situation. Imagine: you are 11 years old and you have just been accused of a crime. The police arrive at your home, pull you away from your family and friends, and bring you to the police station all alone. After an indefinite amount of time in the detention center, you are put before a prosecutor who presents all the evidence against you and tells you that, if you confess, your sentence will be shorter. What would you do? Would you not feel helpless and afraid? Would you not strongly consider confessing to the crime you are accused of, just because it seems like the best/quickest way out? Lawyers like Raymond and others at IPHR provide minors with the emotional and legal support necessary to ensure that they are fairly tried and that they don’t commit themselves to further injustice. These lawyers offer legal advice to the minors when they are in the detention center, support the minors when they are brought before the prosecutor, and defend the minors in court. During our stroll through the streets of Butare, Raymond said that his favorite part about this work is when the minors are justly set free. “They are so happy!” he says. And, even though they do not have much money, they often offer Raymond a piece of bubblegum as a ‘thank you’ for being there.  (The following blog post is written by Mallory Minter, IPHR's first international intern.)
How the heck did I get here? That is my thought on Wednesday morning, as I walk down the halls of the Supreme Court wedged in between two convicts. The prisoner in front of me is very quiet and almost timid. And the one behind me – well, he is definitely the extrovert of the two. As we walk through the halls, he continues to joke with me about how he wants my English-French dictionary that he saw me pull out just moments earlier (the ironic part: when he first saw my dictionary, I had pulled it out just after meeting him in order to recall how to say the word “joker” in French). These two prisoners, enrobed in pink jump suits, are being retried for raping minors. On this Wednesday morning, Paulin, the Vice President of IPHR and a well-respected lawyer in Rwanda, volunteers to defend the timid prisoner described above. You see, this prisoner lost both of his parents at a very young age, has no family, and has no money. He has no external support except for what is being offered by IPHR. You may be wondering why this case was brought before the Supreme Court. This prisoner, who has confessed to raping a minor, has received a sentence of life in prison. However, according to Rwandan law, he may not deserve it. In the past, he has been tried as an adult for raping a minor – resulting in a sentence of life in prison (the minor was below 14 years of age). But there is strong evidence that he may not have been an adult at the time he committed the crime (two different sources of information are being used in court to determine the prisoner’s birth date; the birth dates identified by these sources differ by three years). If this is true – if he was a minor when he committed the crime — then his penal sentence will be drastically decreased. Reflecting on this case, I stumble over the ethics of it all. I have many thoughts about what is right and wrong (don’t worry; I’ll spare you of these thoughts for now). But, putting ethics aside for a moment, I am still struck by two things. First, I am struck by the remarkably generous nature of the lawyers in my organization – it is a great gift to offer your legal expertise for free to people who are otherwise defenseless against the law. Second, I am struck by the prominent need for such gifts. This last point leaves me both a bit astonished and dazed. Over the past two weeks, I have seen the need and demand for free legal assistance. I have also read many reports that demonstrate this need – such as the one by UNICEF that states that approximately 114,000 children were left without parents in 1994. However, as I recently relayed to a friend via email last night, I don’t have the full picture. I want to know the source of this need. I want to understand if it is related to events of the past and, if so, I want to know what that relation is. I also want to understand more about the present – for example, how is this need being addressed not just by IPHR, but by other government and non-government institutions? I still have a lot to figure out, but I know answers will come in time. I will certainly keep you updated. In the meantime, if you have any additional questions, please ask! It may take me a little while, but I promise to research and provide the best answers I can gather. |
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