Minister outlines priorities for women

Minister of Social Affairs and the Advancement of Women Romaine Ndorimana on Tuesday reaffirmed Burundi’s “commitment to restoring peace and security”, not least because of its wish to allow women to fully develop their potential. The government planned to assist women with micro-credit schemes, bring drinking water to the provinces, achieve the literacy of rural women and ensure that they had adequate training, Ndorimana told the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. The minister said measures were being taken to provide women and girls with advice and assistance in the face of violence against them, “including violence in the conjugal [marital] setting and rape.” Among the issues to be addressed were women’s succession entitlements, reproductive health, the education of girls and tackling HIV/AIDS, she said.

Experts at the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women noted that the family and penal codes of Burundi discriminated against women and required change. “The issue of domestic violence, including rape, was of great concern”, as were the condition of women and girls in regroupment camps, and the incidence of HIV/AIDS, said the committee chair Charlotte Abaka of Ghana.