Rwanda’s Prosecutor General is seeking support to establish within the national Public Prosecution Service a protection service for victims and witnesses of crime, including genocide survivors who may be at risk of harassment and intimidation. The Director of the Survivors’ Fund UK, a British NGO, has also discussed with me the need for witness protection in Rwanda. The Public Prosecution Service has an important role to play in ensuring that the rights of Rwanda’s citizens are protected and that they have access to justice.
DFID’s office in Rwanda has been in discussion with the Prosecutor General and is currently assessing how best to support the national victim protection service. The United Nations Development Programme is already providing modest support for this and it will be important to ensure that any DFID funding complements and does not duplicate existing funding. On this point, the DFID office is currently taking forward discussions with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). DFID’s response will depend upon the outcome of these discussions.