 |
 |
|
|||||
|
Issue 00492 |
October 27 - November 2, 2007 |
issn 0856 - 9135 |
||||
|
|||||||||||
|
UN Tribunal |
|
Rwandan woman cries for aid of survivors
By Hirondelle News Agency
"I give you the challenge to come to the aid of the victims of the Rwandan genocide", cried out Esther Mujawayo to the 500 people brought together for the opening ceremonies of the Global Conference on the Prevention of Genocide last week in Montreal.
At her side were a holocaust survivor and a Cambodian genocide survivor. Mrs. Mujawayo, 49, said that she was "sceptical" about the sincerity of the leaders to act. "You knew and you did not act. It is not as if you did not know, but you did not have the will to act ", she declared in front of the NGO representatives, leaders of international organizations, lawyers, academics and journalists who gathered for the three-day of conference.
Living in Kigali at the time of the 1994 genocide (800 000 dead according to the UN, 1 million according to Rwandan authorities), Mrs. Mujawayo found refuge at the Hôtel des Mille Collines, while a large part of her family was killed. In 1995, with others survivors, she took part in the creation of the AVEGA association, which, today, comes to the assistance of 35 000 widows.
In Montreal, Esther Mujawayo did not stop placing the victims at the hearth of the debates. "With all that is said at the conference, I have the impression that we think "a genocide is finished, let’s prevent those to come". But, I say: it is not yet finished, the victims are still there!", she explained to the Hirondelle Agency. According to her, "if the survivor of the genocide was recognized as a victim to compensate, we would not need to beg".
She, who now lives in Düsseldorf (Germany) where she is psychotherapist, denounced the treatment that ICTR defendants receive. "We have ensured that the accused are taking care of, we even help the family of alleged criminals... but nothing has been set up for the victim!". Mrs. Mujawayo, thus, underlined on several occasions the paradox that has accused receiving anti-AIDS treatments, while the victims have difficult access to such medication.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
