Stopping Physical and Sexual Abuse against women & children: Umurage Endline Findings from Rwanda

PMC, along with Umurage Communication for Development, produced Umurage (“Inheritance for a Better Future”) in Rwanda. This 156-episode radio show aired from June 2017 through June 2018 in Kinyarwanda, one of Rwanda’s official languages. As with all PMC radio shows, Umurage was created using PMC’s methodology. The show addressed the themes of child protection, family planning/reproductive health, nutrition, and gender-based violence.

PMC previously released data about the popularity of Umurage and whether Umurage motivated listeners to seek services throughout Rwanda from clinic monitoring throughout broadcast. PMC has now finished analyzing the endline findings from Umurage, and we are pleased to share them below to understand how this entertaining show has impacted Rwandans related to each of the four themes.

Theme: Child Protection

• Listeners were 1.6 times more likely than non-listeners to report knowledge of at least one sign of sexual abuse of children.
• Listeners were 2.5 times more likely than non-listeners to state that a parent is not justified in hitting his/her children for any one of four reasons stated below.*
  • *Reasons: 1) If they perform badly in school because of doing household chores, 2) If they disobey their parents, 3) If they are impolite to their parents, or 4) If they embarrassed the family.
• Listeners were 1.5 times more likely than non-listeners to state that people in their community report incidents of child labor to officials.
• Listeners were 1.6 times more likely than non-listeners to state that people in their community report incidents of rape and other sexual advances to officials.
• Listeners were 1.2 times more likely than non-listeners to say that they are very confident they can get child protection and other social services if they needed them.
• Listeners were 1.5 times more likely than non-listeners to say that they discuss child protection and other social welfare programs with their spouse/partner.

Theme: Youth Reproductive Health

• Listeners were 1.7 times more likely than non-listeners to say they have discussed risky behaviors related to early pregnancy in the last six months with their peers.
• Listeners were 3.9 times more likely than non-listeners to say they have discussed unsafe sex with their peers in the last 6 months.
• Listeners were 2.0 times more likely than non-listeners to say they have discussed dropping out of school due to pregnancy with their peers in the last 6 months.
• Listeners were 2.5 times more likely than non-listeners to say they have discussed having sex with older men/women with their peers in the last 6 months.
• Respondents who are parents of teenagers were asked whether they had discussed risky behaviors with their teenage children in the last six months, those who said “Yes” were asked, “How often?”: Listeners were 2.2 times more likely than non-listeners to say “Frequently.”
• Listeners were 1.3 times more likely than non-listeners to say they and their partner are currently doing something or using any method to delay or avoid pregnancy.

Theme: Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV)

• Listeners were 1.7 times more likely than non-listeners to say the “right to live free from violence” was a right of women and girls in Rwanda.
• Listeners were 1.2 times more likely than non-listeners to say the “right to own property” was a right of women and girls in Rwanda.
• Listeners were 1.9 times more likely than non-listeners to say they would “report the matter to village leader” if they witnessed a man beating his wife.

Question: “In your opinion, is a husband justified in hitting or beating his wife under any of the following circumstances?”:

• “If she neglects the children”
  • Listeners were 2.4 times more likely than non-listeners to say “No” to the above response.
• “If she argues with him?”
  • Listeners were 2 times more likely than non-listeners to say “No” to the above response.
• “If she refuses to have sex with him?”
  • Listeners were 1.9 times more likely than non-listeners to say “No” to the above response.
• “If she burns the food?”
  • Listeners were 1.9 times more likely than non-listeners to say “No” to the above response.

Theme: Nutrition

• Listeners were 1.7 times more likely than non-listeners to say providing foods from different food groups/sources to children aged 6-23 months “prevents malnutrition.”
• Listeners were 1.8 times more likely than non-listeners to say providing foods from different food groups/sources to children aged 6-23 months “prevents stunted growth.”
• Listeners were 2.1 times more likely than non-listeners to say monitoring growth at growth monitoring stations will help “children will grow up healthy.”
• Listeners were 1.7 times more likely than non-listeners to say monitoring growth at growth monitoring stations will “prevent malnutrition.”
• Listeners were 1.3 times more likely than non-listeners to say monitoring growth at growth monitoring stations will “prevent kwashiorkor” (edematous malnutrition).
• Listeners were 1.3 times more likely than non-listeners to say “Yes” that children 6-23 months old should be fed a balanced diet to prevent malnutrition and kwashiorkor.