IRIN Interview on problems facing women

Burundian women are fighting for more representation in the country’s affairs. The Collectif des associations des ONGs feminines du Burundi (CAFOB) is at the forefront of this struggle. Its main goals are to fight for the participation of Burundian women in civil and political life, to circulate information on problems related to women and to defend their rights. IRIN interviewed its representative, Christine Ntarwirumugara. QUESTION: Can you tell us about your organisation, its formation and objectives? ANSWER: CAFOB is a grouping of Burundi women’s associations and nongovernmental organisations. Currently it has 44 member associations. Six others are awaiting registration. CAFOB’s associations are drawn from various leanings and have various objectives. They can be grouped into two categories: those which fight for the restoration of peace and those which fight for human rights, particularly the rights of women and children. Q: Why was it necessary to create such organisation? A: CAFOB’s motto is: union is strength. We gain when associations unite, for example when an association wants to fight for human rights or wants to carry out an activity. First it strengthens unity and solidarity between women, between associations and it helps us overcome challenges. Q: Everywhere in the world the issues of development and gender are linked. Has the concept been understood in Burundi? A: The issue of gender is currently an important question. Here in Burundi the concept is new in theory. In practice we have integrated the concept into the training sessions we have been organising. We believe that if women want to move forward they should do it alongside men. Men should even be more educated than women in order to overcome the challenge of discrimination and the challenges which impede women’s development. Q: In the case of Burundi what are those challenges? A: The challenge facing Burundian women is mainly poverty. Despite the fact that Burundian women are the cornerstone of the national economy, they remain poor. This is because programmes are put in place which do not take into account the gender concept. Secondly, there are problems related to the law such as the law on succession, marriage settlements and unfair laws which seriously hinder women’s development. We will have to solve these problems together with men. If men are not sensitive to the discrimination against women, if men do not understand that this discrimination affects the whole family, we shall not achieve much. Q: Practically what are you doing in order to achieve that? A: In all our meetings and during our training sessions we lay great emphasis on the education of men. We involve men, contrary to what was done in the past, whereby only women were sensitised and which achieved very little, especially when it was necessary to change laws. Q: Have you made progress in your efforts to change the laws? A: I cannot say that it was the work of CAFOB only, it was the work of all Burundian women. Concerning the laws, the combined efforts of women and men led to the reform of the law on people and the family. There were changes favouring women. For example under the divorce law, men and women were punished differently for committing adultery. Now, decisions on the couple’s home are no longer determined by just the husband, but in conjunction with the wife and any wronged party is allowed to appeal. A few articles on the management of family property were also added. Before 1993, this management was carried out by the husband. In short, there were many positive changes. Q: Most women are in a difficult economic situation, worse than men. What is CAFOB doing to assist them? A: CAFOB trains women’s groups. For the time being, women’s groups are not members of CAFOB. One of the recommendations of the recent general assembly meeting was that CAFOB should study how to legally include women’s groups. It means that CAFOB attaches great importance to women’s groups because we are aware of the fact that despite being poor, when women are given a little money, when micro-credits are availed to them, they work satisfactorily. Q: Burundian women are hardly represented in the national institutions. How do you react to this? A: My reaction is simple. It is a fact that Burundian women are almost completely absent from the country’s institutions. The figures I can recall are shameful. There is one woman in the government and two director-generals in this country. There are 16 women out of 121 members of parliament and only one woman is a chief of cabinet. These figures are really disgraceful. In the past we had a woman prime minister, but that was all. Given this, how can women’s issues be taken into account and how can the government tackle the gender issue? Q: Then what can you do? A: We shall not fold our arms. Every time we have the opportunity to lobby the government and the parliament, we will do so. We try to make our voice heard more and more, and I think we shall succeed. Q: Very recently there was a problem of minors being used by older men for sex. CAFOB condemned it and then nothing more was heard, although it is known that the problem continues. People were even arrested but later on released. Why have you been silent? A: I would like to state categorically that we have not been silent. CAFOB contacted all the relevant authorities. We wrote to the president of the republic so that anti-family laws can be changed as soon as possible. We wrote to the mayor [of Bujumbura] and contacted the ministers of interior and justice. It is a problem we take seriously, because killing the youth is killing Burundi’s future. We asked all of these authorities to carry out concrete action in their area. Q: Are you satisfied with the response? A: At the level of the city council something has been done. For instance minors are no longer allowed entry into bars and night clubs. The law states this, but it was never implemented. We would like to bring back measures which are already in place but which have not been implemented.