Rwanda of 1884 assigned the territory to Germany as part of German East Africa, marking the beginning of the colonial era. The explorer Gustav Adolf von Götzen was the first European to significantly explore the country in 1894; he crossed from the south-east to Lake Kivu and met the king. The Germans did not significantly alter the social structure of the country, but exerted influence by supporting the king and the existing hierarchy and delegating power to local chiefs. Belgian forces took control of Rwanda and Burundi in 1916, during World War I, beginning a period of more direct colonial rule.
Gender equality in Rwanda health for women has been led by Rwanda health minister, Agnes Binagwaho. Binagwaho has pushed for equality in the healthcare system by advocating for young girls to receive the HPV vaccine, which many do not ever receive. To teach young girls about health, One UN Rwanda leads discussion groups on reproductive health and contraceptives to college women. However, there is still some work left to do in for gender equality in Rwanda. As of 2015, 21 percent of women in Rwanda experienced physical and/ or sexual intimate partner violence. This is a large improvement from when a vast number of