Access to justice for victims of gender based violence in Rwanda

This paper investigates the degree to which victims of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV)1 access justice in Rwanda. This study has used three main methods. The desk review has been used to explore and extract secondary data from laws, policy documents, studies and administrative and specialized reports. Interviews and focus group discussions have been conducted with key informants to gain first hand materials and insights. The findings suggest that Rwanda has achieved impressive progress in relation to the improvement of the legal and policy frameworks. The country has put in place an equally supportive institutional structure. However, access to justice for victims of SGBV is still complicated due to several practical reasons, including persistent legal gaps, limited capacity among service provider structures and staff and the lack of evidence for many cases related to SGBV.