The delegation from the European Union in October, visited a citizen forum in Rusatira sector, Huye District, while they convened their usual monthly meeting. The participants were discussing the issue of juvenile delinquency in the community, trying to jointly identify some of its root causes, its consequences on the youth and potential measures to lower these rates.
The meeting that seemed ordinary to the members, since they had been holding such kind of meetings for the last 4 years, was more of an emphasis of the EU’s commitment to active citizen participation from the grassroots. The Head of the Economics, and Governance Section at the EU Delegation in Rwanda, Thibaut Moyer, reiterated the reason why EU supports projects that aim to enhance the debating ability of citizens.
“We support projects that build the capacity of citizens to constructively debate community issues with their leaders and define their needs and priorities as a pillar of good governance and accountability”.
During the dialogue, Citizen Forum Members identified some lingering causes of juvenile delinquency such as parents’ irresponsibility to take care of their children, school dropouts, and poverty as well as intra-family conflicts, an issue that was underscored as one of the main causes driving children out of their homes. The participants noted that juvenile delinquency lead to conflicts and insecurities, teenage pregnancies and destruction of infrastructure. As a mitigation measure, Jean Bosco Sibomana, a Citizen Forum member, called for the need to start the discussions on juvenile delinquency in the existing platforms such as umugoroba w’ababyeyi, inteko z’abaturage and umuganda.
“If the issue is discussed in these platforms that bring many community members together, it will not only raise awareness of its magnitude, but allow us to collectively seek shared solutions.”
The Head of Programs at Never Again Rwanda Eric Mahoro, urged Citizen Forum members to continue fostering a sense of ownership to community transformation and the positive contribution of young people to society.
More citizen forums will be launched in the 5 districts (Musanze, Nyagatare, Huye, Gasabo and Rutsiro) where Never Again Rwanda (NAR) and Interpeace, supported by the European Union, will be implementing a project entitled: “Enhancing and reinforcing Rwandan citizen participation in existing local government consultations processes and platforms” which was launched mid-year.