Godeliève Mukasarasi is a Rwanda

Rwanda

Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...

n social worker, genocide

Genocide

Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...

 survivor, and rural development

Rural development

Rural development in general denotes economic development and community development actions and initiatives taken to improve the standard of living in non-urban neighbourhoods, remote villages and the countryside...

 activist.

Background and activism

Mukasarasi was born in Gitarama, Muhanga District, where she went on to work as a social worker. Following the 1994 Rwandan genocide

Rwandan Genocide

The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...

, she founded a group called SEVOTA, a support group to help widows and orphans to further their socio-economic rights. The organization emphasizes creation of "safe spaces" for survivor dialogues and physical recreation for children, and is based in the Taba commune.

In 1996, her husband, Emmanuel Rudasingwa, and daughter were killed by an armed band. In her testimony to human rights investigators, Mukasarasi atrributed the attack to Hutu

Hutu

The Hutu , or Abahutu, are a Central African people, living mainly in Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DR Congo.-Population statistics:The Hutu are the largest of the three peoples in Burundi and Rwanda; according to the United States Central Intelligence Agency, 84% of Rwandans and 85% of Burundians...

s recently returned from Zaire

Zaire

The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...

, in retaliation for her husband's conversations with representatives of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is an international court established in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 955 in order to judge people responsible for the Rwandan Genocide and other serious violations of international law in Rwanda, or by Rwandan...

.

Recognition

Mukasarasi's work has won several national and international awards. In October 1996, she was given the Prize for Women's Creativity in Rural Life from the Women's World Summit Foundation, and she has also received the Nzambazamariya Vénéranda Award, a Rwandan prize for an individual promoting a positive image for women. In 2004, she was awarded the John Humphrey Freedom Award

John Humphrey Freedom Award

The John Humphrey Freedom Award is presented annually by the Canadian human rights group Rights & Democracy to an organization or individual from any country or region of the world for exceptional achievement in the promotion of human rights and democratic development...

 of the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development

International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development

The International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development , is a non-partisan, independent Canadian institution that was established by an act of the Canadian parliament in 1988 to "encourage and support the universal values of human rights and the promotion of democratic institutions...

, which came with a cash grant of C$30,000 and allowed Mukasarasi to go on a speaking tour of Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 cities to promote her work. Kathleen Mahoney, the chairperson of the Centre's board, stated in a press release that “through her courage, her enthusiasm and her unwavering commitment, [Mukasarasi] has succeeded in gaining the trust of victims of rape and sexual violence, particularly women who contracted HIV-AIDS, as well as in breaking the silence and in helping these women obtain justice."

Odina Desrochers

Odina Desrochers

Odina Desrochers is a Canadian politician. He was a member of the Bloc Québécois in the Canadian House of Commons. He was first elected to the house in the Canadian federal election, 1997 from the riding of Lotbinière...

 praised Mukasarasi in the Canadian House of Commons on behalf of the Bloc Québécois

Bloc Québécois

The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...

for her "key role in breaking the silence and documenting crimes of sexual violence for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda."