Tutsi Women During the Genocide

After fleeing the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi, a woman collapses to the floor and is overcome with emotions.

Tutsi Women during the Genocide

In 1994, the lives of up to one million Rwandan Tutsi were taken in upwards of 100 days. Hutu extremists, along with civilians of various political orientations began killing and assaulting women, children, and male Tutsi after the assassination of Burundi’s and Rwanda’s Presidents, which was blamed on the Rwandan Patriotic Front. Tutsi women faced sexual violence at the hands of Hutu extremists who wanted to terrorize women and strip them of their Tutsi heritage, while also breaking them down psychologically. They had the assistance of the Rwandan National Guard and the Presidential Guard to help further their political goals of exterminating the Tutsi community. Hutu extremists used rape and murder of Tutsi women as a way of promoting their goals. Due to the violence towards Tutsi women, many attempted to flee to neighboring countries to escape the violence. In addition to murder, Tutsi women faced rape, mutilation, unwanted pregnancies, physiological trauma, and the contraction of diseases such as HIV at the hands of Hutu extremists. In Rwanda, rape and sexual violence is surrounded by a social stigma which silenced Tutsi women survivors from speaking out about the sexual violence they had faced during the genocide. Tutsi women rape survivors were often afraid to speak out, fearing their families or husbands would reject them. Following the genocide, the international community has worked alongside Tutsi women to assist in their recoveries. For example, The Foundation of Rwanda Programme and the Association of Genocide Widows focus on counseling survivors and providing medical attention. Learning about Tutsi women’s experiences during the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi is key to understanding the place gender and gendered violence in conflicts and genocides. The gendered aspect of genocide teaches us how sexual violence can mark women’s experiences in conflict zones and genocides, wherein rape can function as a tool of war.

Quick Links

Sexual Violence during the Rwandan Genocide and its Aftermath

Women’s Experiences of Genocide

Bibliography

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Photo Source

Michel, Ulli. “Reporter reflects on Rwanda: ‘Madness took over’.” MPR News. 10 April 2014.