On October 30^th, 2024, the National Commission for Human Rights presented its annual activity report for the year 2023/2024 and its action plan for the year 2024/2025 before the Parliament, both Chambers. The report included the activities that emanate from the Commission responsibilities to protect human rights, prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and human rights promotion.

Regarding Human Rights protection, the Commission focused on investigating complaints of human rights violation and monitored the respect of the rights of persons with disabilities found in their respective families.

Regarding human rights violation complaints in the year 2023/2024, the Commission examined 573 complaints - 55 complaints of them, were still under investigations at the end of the year 2022/2023. 518 complaints were received in the first half of the year 2023/2024.

Among those above mentioned complaints, 432 (75.4%) were resolved, 68 (11.8%) were submitted to relevant institutions to solve them but have not yet been resolved yet, 73 (12.7%) were still being investigated. The category of complaints that have commonly been brought to the Commission’s attention, are those relate to the right to justice. They were 164 (28.6%), followed by those that affect the right to property 147 (25.6%) and those others that affect the right of being recognized by both parents and being raised by them, the right of not receive corporal punishments, the right of not to be subjected to physically painful acts, the right of not to be used for prohibited work for children and the right to be recorded in civil registers – all together amounting to 69, (12%.

The Commission monitored the respect of human rights for the persons with disabilities, living in their respective families, focusing on the right to well-being, health, education, right to be registered in civil registers and the right not to be subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

In exercising its mandate to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the Commission monitored the respect of human rights in 14 Correctional Facilities, 72 RIB custodies, 28 Transit Centres and in 3 Rehabilitation Centres to monitor, specifically, the respect of the right to social welfare and right to due process of law.

While exercising its mandate of human rights promotion, the Commission trained 1,376 people, including 1,095 volunteers, Commission employees and representatives of 152 non-governmental human rights organizations, 79 business operators and 50 government agencies. This training focused on human rights’ promotion in general but specifically, the rights of children and persons with disabilities; the security of the technological network and the use of social media in the promotion and protection of human rights; the relationship between business and human rights and to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

The commission also raised citizens’ awareness on human rights, through community discussions (Inteko z’Abaturage) and public hearing sessions in different Districts of the country. These gatherings were attended by 6,825 citizens consisting of 3,866 women and 2,959 men. Those that were reached out from collocational facilities were 68,754 consisting of 4 053 women, 64 014 men and 645 boys and 42 girls.  In transit centres and rehabilitation centres, those who attended were 15, 558 people consisting of 594 women, 13 897 men, female children 119 and 948 boys. The Commission conducted a mobilization campaign through 15 programs that were given through various radio and television stations in line with awareness raising and sensitization.

 As regards promotion of human rights, the Commission also provided views on various laws and draft laws and encouraged the concerned authorities to fully approve the international human rights covenants that have not been ratified and to submit reports on the international human rights covenants that Rwanda has fully ratified.

The Commission continued its cooperation with international and regional human rights Institutions, and continued its cooperation with non-governmental human rights organizations working in the country.

The Commission also conducted a survey on the impact of Sexual Gender Based Violence (SBV) on the enjoyment of human rights for teen mothers and the respect of the right to compensation and survey on the respect of human rights in informal business sector.

During the fiscal year 2024/2025, the Commission will continue to promote human rights, prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and protect human rights.