Role of Rwanda Parliamentarians
in advocating for SRHR
-ICPD
- IPU Resolution 2012
Rwandan Parliamentarians’ Network on
Population and Development (RPRPD)
RPRPD and the ICPD Plan of Action
 The Rwandan Parliamentarians’ Network on Population
and Development has been created in 2003 as a
parliamentary way to implement the ICPD Plan of
Action.
 ICPD states that the promotion of sexual and
reproductive right is an essential instrument in the two
main political and action fields:
• Sustainable development
• Poverty reduction
• A group of 48 Deputies in 2003, of 76 committed
parliamentarians (Senators and Deputies) today has
done many achievements to meet ICPD agenda.
The main objectives of RPRDD
• Promote and protect fundamental rights of the
entire population in general and those of women
and children in particular;
• Encourage greater access to education for all by
fighting against gender disparities;
• Support to the actions that contribute to the
poverty reduction;
• Fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic and other endemic
diseases;
• Promote family planning and sexual and
reproductive health especially those of adolescents
and young adults;
Country Background: A pronatalist nation
• High mortality rate due to lack of immunization
and hygienic and sanitation measures
• Colonial authority encourage many births for
manpower in mining and big plantation of tea,
coffee, cotton, cassava…
• The Clergy encourage Christians to have many
children and fill the world as God ordered
Abraham;
• 1994 Tutsi Genocide increase pro-natalist
mindset to replace more than 1 million lost
• There is no need to stabilize population
Rwanda Population Pyramid
80 +
75-79
70-74
11,000,000 inhabitants
(400 hab/km2)
In Rwanda more than
50% of the population
are under 18
Male
Female
65-69
Women 52%
Men 48%
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
More than 65% are
under 25
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
15-19
10-14
5-9
<5
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
Key Events, Rwanda National Family Planning
Program, Central Level
• 1999: Rwandan government begins to encourage the
creation of community-based health insurance
(mutuelles de sante)
• 2002/2003: Qualitative assessment of family
planning in Rwanda conducted, Rwandan
Parliamentarians’ Network on Population and
Development formed (RPRPD)
• 2003: First National Reproductive Health Policy
signed by the Minister of Health
• 2006: National FP policy and its five-year strategies
(2006-2010)produced by MOH; initiation of FP
secondary health posts
Key Events, Rwanda National Family Planning Program (Cont’d)
• 2007: Government declares family planning to
be a development priority; Economic
Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy
(2008-2012) emphasizes importance of FP and
sets target of 70% CPR by 2012
• 2011: Rwanda Family Planning Policy and Family
Planning Strategic Plan, both for 2012-2016, and
National Adolescent Sexual & Reproductive
Health Policy and Strategic Plan, 2011-2015, all
developed with stakeholders
Role of parliamentarians in advocating for SRHR
• Stage 1: awareness that the reproductive health is a
priority for the reduction of poverty and for a
sustainable development (RPRPD in 2003);
• Stage 2: Field visits and discussion with the population
and all stakeholders, organizing public meeting and
inform people on the importance of the issue and
gather their interest
• Stage 3: Forming alliances with public interest groups
Religious and Civil society
Students (University & secondary level)
Local administrative authorities (executive
secretaries of sectors), Mayors.
• Stage 4: Persuading other legislative members
to take up the cause, to vote laws or asking for
a public hearing
• Stage 5: Using all form of media (radio,
television, newspapers
• Stage 6: raising funds or other resources to
support (government, UNFPA, UNICEF, DFID)
Results: Need of services
Reproductive health : National Priority
Total Fertility Rate : a rwandan woman
has an average of 4.6 Children during her
reproductive life; the CPR of Urban and
rural woman are 3.4 and 4.8 respectively
Rwanda CPR increase MM Decrease
Rwanda Decrease in maternal
mortality
Rwanda increase in CPR Rwanda 19922010
50
1200
45
45
1071
40
1000
35
30
CPR Trend in Rwanda
1992-2010
20
15
10
800
27.4
25
12.9
5
750
600
487
10.3
400
4.3
0
Year 1992
Year
2000
Year 2005 Year 2007 Year 2010
200
0
Year 2000
year 2005
Year 2010
Rwanda Decrease in
maternal mortality
Use of Modern Contraceptive Methods
Percentage of women in union utilizing any contraceptive method
Fertility Trends
CPR for women of reproductive age (15-49 years old) for the 3 year
period preceeding the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) 2010
Rwanda Gross Domestic Product (GDP) 2001-2010
Trends in Maternal Health
94
96
98
69
69
52
39
Antenatal care
45
30
Delivery assisted by skilled Delivery in a health facility
provider
RDHS 2005
RIDHS 2007-08
RDHS 2010
Trends in Child Mortality
Deaths by 1,000 live births
Vaccination of children aged 12-23 months
Trends in immunization coverage
Percentage of children aged 12-23 months fully vaccinated
FP/RH in Rwanda Law
FP/RH in Rwanda Law: Maputo Protocol
• June 24th, 2004 Ratification of The Maputo Protocol to
the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and
the Rights of Women in Africa with reservation on its
Art 14.2.c)
• Presidential Order No 05/01 of May 2012 lifting the
reservation issued by the Republic of Rwanda on art.
14.2 c
Art 14: Health and Reproductive Health
2.c “protect the reproductive rights of women by authorizing medical abortion in cases of sexual
assault, rape, incest, and where the continued pregnancy endangers the mental and physical
health of the mother or the life of the mother or the foetus”.
FP/RH in Rwanda Law
Penal Code voted on April 4th, 2012
•
•
•
•
Article 165: Exemption from criminal liability for abortion
1° when a woman has become pregnant as a result of rape;
2° when a woman has been subjected to forced marriage;
3° when a woman has become pregnant due to incest in
the second degree;
• 4° when the continuation of pregnancy seriously
jeopardizes the health of the unborn baby or that of the
pregnant woman.
FP/RH in Rwanda Law
Penal Code voted on April 4th, 2012
• Article 166: Requirements for exemption from
criminal liability….
• A medical doctor….
1° after the medical doctor finds that continuation of the pregnancy
would seriously endanger the health of the woman or that the
unborn child cannot survive;
• Art. 239: Any person who, on grounds of marriage, commits violence
or harassment against his/her spouse because of the spouse’s
decision to practice family planning shall be liable to a term of
imprisonment of at least two (2) months but less than six (6) months.
FP/RH in Rwanda Law
• Draft reproductive health bill under the
Standing Committee on social affairs.
• This SRH Draft bill has been drafted by the
Rwandan Parliamentarians’ Network on
Population and Development (RPRPD)
Challenges
• Young population more than half of the
Rwandan population is 18 year old;
• More resource to invest in education and
health services;
• Cultural barriers which prevent family
dialogue on SRHR;
• Closing rural-urban gaps with regards to
accessing modern family planning methods.
The key opportunity: gender
sensitive parliament
How can we achieve this:
1. Increase the number and presence of women
2. Develop a legal framework for gender
equality an gender sensitive work place
policies
3. Mainstream gender equality in all the work
of the parliament
4. Remind men of their responsibilities to
achieve gender equality
Community Work (Umuganda): anopportunities for a Mass mobilization on population issues
How Can we keep momentum going on?
Thank You!
MURAKOZE CYANE
Merci beaucoup!