Rwanda Case Study

Schimmel, Noam

This chapter focuses on Rwanda as a case study and provides a survivor-centered perspective and discussion of the human rights challenges Rwandan genocide survivors face. It discusses both the institutional and individual perspective of Rwandan genocide survivors on how best to respect, protect, and fulfill their human rights and human dignity in partnership with them and with sensitivity to principles of fairness, equity, justice, and freedom. It discusses Rwanda’s national government agency devoted to advancing the welfare of genocide survivors, FARG. It critiques FARG for significant failures to advance the human rights of genocide survivors in a substantive, comprehensive, timely, and inclusive way that reflects survivor rights to participation and reparation and to education, housing, healthcare, and economic support, and vocational training to alleviate poverty and empower survivors to generate income. It provides suggestions on how FARG can improve its respect and fulfillment of the human rights of genocide survivors and how NGOs can play a critical role in contributing to advancing the rights and welfare of Rwanda’s genocide survivors. It illustrates how prominent development NGOs in Rwanda such as CARE, Oxfam, World Vision, and Save the Children are failing to respect and fulfill the human rights of genocide survivors and provides examples of other NGOs, in contrast, such as ActionAid, that show respect for the human rights of genocide survivors and should serve as a model for other development NGOs in Rwanda.