Women and youth to be included in memory management of painful past

Women and youth are two categories of people that suffer the most during and after the conflict period. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission-CVR believes in their contribution to manage the painful past for a better future.

Bishop Jean- Louis Nahimana: “The role of women and youth is essential in the process of healing wounds of the past”

Bishop Jean-Louis Nahimana, Chairman of CVR, says the commission’s activities are incomplete without the contribution of women and youth. “It is very difficult, even impossible to heal and manage the painful past when women and youth are ignored,” he says.

Emmanuel Ntakarutimana, a consultant involved in CVR activities, says women are the most victims of war and conflicts. “Women suffer humiliation, rape and the loss of their husbands in time of war,” he says.
Ntakarutimana also says youth are in many ways involved in conflicts and protests that break out. “The youth are always in the forefront of conflicts because of their energy which can also be used to develop their country”.

He says youth are brilliant and can contribute to the well being of their country. “Both the heroes of independence and democracy were young people. They set a good example with their ambitious projects to transform their nation”.

Freddy Nkurikiye, Regional Representative of Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, says women are powerful and need to be associated in the process. “Women can bring solution and hope during critical moments. They raise children in a world full of lies and taboos and they most often experience sorrow and solitude caused by wars,” he says.

Ida Kubwimana, Representative of Light of the World Association-ALM, says women are the foundation of both families and the country. “Women are the ones who are mostly affected by war. They are the ones that mainly educate children and can surely contribute to their brighter future”.
Bishop Jean- Louis Nahimana calls on all women and young people to contribute to CVR’s activities by giving their testimonies for the building of a peaceful country.