Burundi Strengthens Gender-Based Violence Response with New Equipment and Data Systems
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Burundi is strengthening the capacity of its decentralized services to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). On 13 August 2026, UN Women handed over a significant package of equipment to the Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Gender to support structures working to combat SGBV across the country.
The initiative is part of the project “Institutional Support to the Establishment of the National Observatory for Combating Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Burundi,” funded by the Delegation of the European Union to Burundi.
Equipment to strengthen action on the ground
The equipment handed over includes 10 laptops, 2 printers, 30 tablets and 42 smartphones, as well as spare parts for 17 motorcycles and one service vehicle.
Equipment to strengthen the fight against gender-based violence on the ground. Photo: UN Women/Alain Gashaka
These resources will enable local services to better collect, document, analyse and transmit data on SGBV cases. They will also improve the mobility of field teams and strengthen their ability to respond more effectively to the needs of communities.
Reliable and timely data are essential to understanding the scale and patterns of violence, identifying needs, allocating resources and strengthening prevention and response policies and programmes.
Stronger data to inform better decisions
Ending SGBV requires more than providing support to survivors. It also requires effective systems capable of generating quality data to inform decision-making, strengthen coordination and track progress.
The new equipment will strengthen the flow of information from local services to national mechanisms, helping decision-makers build a clearer picture of SGBV trends and needs across the country. These efforts contribute to the establishment of the National Observatory for Combating SGBV, which aims to strengthen the availability and use of data and improve coordination among stakeholders working to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.
10 laptops, 2 printers, 30 tablets and 42 smartphones, as well as spare parts for the motorcycles and the vehicle. Photo: UN Women/Alain Gashaka.
Bringing resources closer to communities
Decentralized services are often among the first points of contact for women and girls experiencing violence. Their ability to document cases, make referrals and follow up with survivors can therefore have a direct impact on the quality and continuity of support available to them.
Strengthening their operational capacity therefore helps bring institutional responses closer to communities while fostering stronger collaboration among the different actors involved in preventing and responding to SGBV.
For UN Women, investing in national capacities is essential to creating an enabling environment where women and girls can access more effective, coordinated and rights-based services.
A partnership for a stronger national response
This investment opens new opportunities to strengthen the prevention and response to gender-based violence, bringing protection and support services closer to women and girls who need them. It also reflects the continued commitment of the Government of Burundi, the European Union and UN Women to strengthening national systems, expanding access to justice and ensuring that women and girls can better exercise and enjoy their rights.
Signing of the handover of equipment by Ms. Donatienne Girukwishaka, Delegate of the UN Women Representative in Burundi (right), to Ms. Rosalie Nahishakiye, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry in charge of Gender in Burundi. UN Women/Alain Gashaka.
“This support reflects our shared commitment to ending violence against women and girls by equipping national institutions with the tools they need to act effectively and sustainably,” said the UN Women Representative in Burundi.
The goal is clear: to translate investments in institutions and systems into concrete results for women and girls, and to advance Burundi towards a society where everyone can live free from violence.