Exploring Community Perceptions and Women’s Experiences of Violence against Women and Use of Services in Bugesera District, Eastern Province, Rwanda.

Most studies on gender based violence (GBV) in Rwanda have focused on the sexual violence that happened during the genocide. Research that does exist on violence in intimate relationships after the genocide has shown that the levels are high but good data on how women are assisted and supported is absent. This report presents findings from a study done as part of the Strengthening GBV Research Capacity in Africa project. The main objective of the study was to assist the Rwanda Women’s Network (RWN) and other service providers in developing effective services for abused women.

The study not only generated more in-depth information about knowledge, attitudes and perceptions on VAW, but it also built RWN research capacity and provided data for use in programmatic and advocacy work among women in Rwanda.