§ Lord Alton of Liverpoolasked Her Majesty's Government:
What pressure they have exerted on the Rwandan Government to make women victims of rape by Hutu militiamen a priority for medical and welfare programmes. [HL2856]
§ The Lord President of the Council: (Baroness Amos)DfID is addressing this issue at two levels: first, we are helping the Government of Rwanda to put in place the right framework to make health and welfare services available to all Rwandans who need them; and, secondly, we are supporting the Government of Rwanda to meet the specific needs of genocide survivors.
DfID is concerned about the particular needs of genocide survivors, including the victims of sexual violence. Accordingly, DfID is providing direct assistance to the survivors of the genocide through the Government of Rwanda's Survivors' Fund (FARG). DfID has committed £850,000 to enable FARG to broaden the welfare services it provides to include advice and counselling on issues around HIV/AIDS.
DfID has also committed £200,000 to provide healthcare, including provision of anti-retroviral therapy, for witnesses and others called by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Many of these witnesses were victims of rape during the genocide.
Out of the appalling legacy of genocide, the Government of Rwanda have, over the past 10 years, made tremendous progress in developing a framework of equitable policies and institutions. Rwanda's poverty reduction strategy provides a powerful vehicle for improving the lives of Rwanda's people, and we are beginning to see real progress: although still very high, the incidence of poverty is declining; child immunisation has increased to around 90 per cent; and we are seeing falls in key indicators such as child mortality and maternal mortality.
The British Government have worked very closely with Rwanda in recent years. DfID's assistance has steadily increased and now stands at £42 million, of which two-thirds is provided directly to the Government, while the remainder is devoted to programmes that enhance peace and reconciliation, poverty reduction and accountable governance. Our support has helped the Government of Rwanda to increase their spending on poverty reduction especially in key sectors such as health and education: for example, the Government of Rwanda nearly doubled their expenditure on health between 1999 and 2003, from 8.8 million dollars to 17.75 million dollars.
70WA
§ Lord Alton of Liverpoolasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether Tutsi women raped by Hutu militiamen during the genocide in Rwanda have had access to HIV drugs and nutritional programmes funded by the international community; and whether their imprisoned attackers are being supported by these programmes. [HL2855]
§ Baroness AmosI can confirm that defendants at the International Criminal Tribunal (ITC) for Rwanda have access to healthcare, including anti-retroviral treatment (ART) while witnesses and others called by the ICTR have so far had only limited access to health care. DfID is deeply concerned by this inequity. The Secretary of State for International Development last year wrote to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan, asking how the United Nations and the international community could work to resolve this. Following Mr Annan's intervention, ICTR has now set up a treatment centre in Kigali to provide healthcare, including anti-retroviral treatment, for witnesses and others called by the tribunal. Many of these witnesses were victims of rape during the genocide. DfID has committed £200,000 to assist this programme.
HIV/AIDS is a serious problem in Rwanda. Rwanda does not yet have the health infrastructure required to effectively deliver HIV/AIDS care and treatment countrywide. The Government have produced a comprehensive Strategic Framework for HIV/AIDS Control and all the major donors, including the Clinton Foundation, the Global Fund and the World Bank, have committed to support it. This framework includes the progressive provision of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to all who need it, through a strengthened network of health centres. Rwanda is one of the countries that have reached agreement with manufacturers on significantly reduced drug prices in the context of its national HIV care and treatment plans. This has been achieved through a partnership between the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and five of the leading multinational pharmaceutical companies (the Accelerating Access to HIV/AIDS Care, Treatment and Support Initiative). This will make it quicker and more economical to reach and treat Rwandans living with HIV/AIDS, including genocide survivors. However, the rollout of care and treatment is at an early stage and so far only a small number of Rwandans have had access to anti-retroviral therapy, including some genocide survivors.
The UK has committed £25 million through the International Partnership Against AIDS in Africa programme (IPAA) to increase capacity in certain national HIV/AIDS commissions, including Rwanda. DfID is currently considering whether we can build on this engagement, to ensure that Rwanda has the capacity to manage and direct the various programmes of support. DfID has also provided support to UNAIDS, which will shortly appoint a specialist to assist with co-ordination and monitoring of the international effort against HIV in Rwanda.