Miss Rwanda beauty pageant, Dieudonne Ishimwe arrested over sexual abuse

Return of ”Me Too” movement?

The popular ‘me too movement’ that gained traction in 2017 following the sexual harassment scandal that rocked Hollywood over the numerous accusations of rape and sexual assault leveled on film producer and former film studio director, Harvey Weinstein, seems to be making a come-back in 2022, perhaps this time stemming in Africa’s entertainment industry, particularly in the ‘land of a thousand hills’: Rwanda.

This follows the accusations and arrest of organiser of the Miss Rwanda beauty pageant, Dieudonne Ishimwe (pictured above), over sexual abuse allegations after numerous women raised claims.

The 36-year-old is accused of assaulting “former Miss Rwanda contestants” of the former musician, saying investigations are ongoing.

Police in Rwanda have confirmed the arrest

“Ishimwe Dieudonne is detained at Remera Police station over sexual abuse conducted using his power. Investigation is still going on,” said Dr. Thierry Murangira, Rwanda Investigation Bureau(RIB) spokesperson said in a statement.

“Me Too” movement

The “Me Too” Movement was a hashtag that went viral in October 2017 following the Weinstein expose’ where women across the globe came out to reveal their personal sexual harassment/assault encounters.

In 2020 Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of the charges in a trial in New York and jailed for 23 years Weinstein Harvey, bringing to an end one perhaps one of the most prominent sexual Assault Trials in recent times.

Nobel Prize 2018 postponed due to “sexual crisis”

The ‘Me too’ movement went viral globally and rocked a couple of organizations including the Swedish Academy, which organizes the Nobel Prize in Literature. The 2018 Nobel Prize was even postponed due to a “sexual Crisis”

Kenya’s Lupita Nyong’o also shared her experience with Weinstein and how he had in the past made sexual advances at her.

Speaking to the New York Times, Lupita narrated how he invited her into his bedroom during the screening of a film.

UNICEF boss resigns over sexual abuse allegations

In 2018, former Chief Executive of Save the Children, Justin Forsyth, resigned as deputy executive director at UNICEF following allegations of inappropriate behavior raised against him by three women, in the wake of the “Me Too” Movement.

Forsyth had however maintained that he was not “resigning because of the mistakes he had made while at the charity, but because of attempts to damage aid organisations and the humanitarian sector,”.

“I want to make clear I am not resigning from UNICEF because of the mistakes I made at Save the Children. They were dealt with through a proper process many years ago. I apologized unreservedly at the time and face to face. I apologise again,” Forsyth Said.

Employee sues National Bank CEO for sexual assault

Closer home, in the same year, a former employee of the National Bank (NBK) sued the Chief Executive Officer Wilfred Musau for sexual harassment.

Below are some of the reactions from the #MissRwanda hashtag, which has been trending.

 Nsanga Sylvie: God will punish you all sponsors and institutions which were supposed to detect&stop sex harassment in #MissRwanda for having failed our girls. Including myself who accepted 2be silenced for many years for the politics of respectability.I believe in every victim&I say sorry.

Paper Crown Rwanda: The situation with Miss Rwanda is another alarming example of how unequal, patriarchal power structures reinforce and perpetuate violence. This is not just one case of one man who harassed and abused young women, but an example of a culture of impunity.

Kevin Ntwari #TeamPK: Using your position to get what you want that is the abuse of power, again in Rwanda Exercising sexual harassment in any way such:by way of order, intimidation and terrorizing a person it is a crime that has penalities Now he is presumed innocent until proven guilt. #missrwanda

Faith Mbabazi: The #MissRwanda saga shows how young women are sexually abused by those who have power over them, those they trust and have built a longtime relationship with. We need strong safeguarding policies in our society! Can’t wait to see how this situation ends.

Lupita Nyong’o Sexually Harassed by Harvey Weinstein