BUJUMBURA, July 31st (ABP) – The Ministry of Trade, Transport, Industry and Tourism organized on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Bujumbura, an awareness-raising workshop for service agents working at the port of Rumonge and at border posts in the area of the Trade Facilitation and Integration Project in the Great Lakes Region (PFCIGL) on the risks of gender-based violence (GBV) as well as sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and the code of conduct.
The assistant to the Minister responsible for Trade, Mr. Gérard Niyokindi, indicated in his opening remarks that this workshop is of great importance because, he pointed out, it is an activity that materializes the solid commitment of stakeholders in the implementation of measures to prevent, mitigate and respond to GBV, sexual exploitation and abuse that could potentially be linked to interactions between users of border posts and various services assigned to them.
The development objective of this project, he continued to say, focuses on facilitating cross-border trade in order to increase the capacity to trade and reduce the costs encountered by small cross-border traders, especially women.
Mr. Niyokindi also specified that this project aims to address the most restrictive obstacles along the borders between Burundi and neighboring countries in the Great Lakes region, particularly the DR Congo. In this regard, a plan for the prevention, mitigation and response to sexual exploitation and abuse has been drawn up, he said, adding that this plan includes training and awareness programs, and provides for the signing of the code of conduct by all employees, contracting companies and stakeholders with a base in the project area.
According to Mr. Niyokindi, compliance with the code of conduct will reduce sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment. It will also promote cross-border trade, he said, while hoping for personal commitment and ownership of the said code by the services operating at border posts in the project area. He also hopes to improve the climate for cross-border trade and advocates for users of border posts to cross the border without being victims of harassment, physical or verbal violence.
The project representative, Mrs. Marie Sinamenye, said that this workshop was organized to address the challenges faced by those who engage in cross-border trade, namely small traders and women traders. To put an end to the latter’s complaints about the sexual, physical and verbal harassment they suffer during baggage searches, a GBV prevention and mitigation plan was drawn up. The aim is to raise awareness among all partners and agents assigned to the borders so that they are aware of these actions to protect the victims. According to Mrs. Sinamenye, this project provides for the appropriate care of these traders.