BUBANZA December 4th (ABP) – Residents of Bubanza province (northwest of Burundi) are called upon to get involved in the prevention and eradication of gender-based violence (GBV), we learned during a conference debate on the state of violence against women and girls in that province, as part of the 16 days of activism campaign against GBV.
That activity was organized on November 30, 2023, by the provincial directorate of family and social development (DPDFS), in collaboration with the provincial administration.
Indeed, data from the DPDFS show that in Bubanza province, over a period from 2020 to 2023, 1,713 women and 282 men were victims of gender-based violence, and 167 unwanted pregnancies were recorded in schools.
Among the factors favoring gender-based violence which were mentioned during that conference-debate, are the habits and customs which create inequality between boys and girls from a young age, amicable settlements by the administration at the base, the lack of dialogue between spouses, and between parents-children, drunkenness due to the consumption of prohibited drinks, superstition, poverty, impunity and others, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
The socio-cultural advisor to the governor of Bubanza province, Emmanuel Ngendabanka, called on the inhabitants of that province to be men and women of integrity, and for their effective involvement in the eradication of GBV. That is because, according to him, that violence produces harmful consequences, not only in households, but also in the country.