By Philip Buda Ladu
A group of prominent South Sudanese women leaders have issued a call for action to the government and international community to address persistent challenges women and girls face in the country.
The appeal came in a communiqué released yesterday following a roundtable meeting on women’s political participation and legislative reforms.
Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network) issued the communiqué, on behalf of over 14 women-led civil society organizations, championing gender equality.
In the communique, the women expressed “deep concern” over lack of political will to implement affirmative action policies.
Other issues they raised include the ongoing humanitarian crisis, and the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence in the country.
“We are deeply alarmed by the persistent lack of political will by the parties and the Reconstituted Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) to enforce the 35% affirmative action for women’s representation,” stated the joint communiqué.
The women also condemned removal of female officials from positions of power by the unity government, which they deem to have further marginalized the women.
The communiqué outlined a series of recommendations to address these challenges, including implementing affirmative action policies to ensure women are represented at all levels of government and decision-making bodies.
The government has been urged to also expedite the adoption of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security and the Family Law and Anti-GBV bills.
On supporting the peace process the women appeal to the government to prioritize the Tumaini Peace Initiative and address any contradictions between it and the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan.
Meanwhile, International partners were asked to continue supporting resilience and livelihood programs to address the humanitarian crisis facing South Sudanese women and girls.
On Promoting Women’s rights: the communique calls on Women’s groups and civil society organizations to conduct civic education and awareness campaigns on women’s rights and advocate for legal and policy reforms.
The women leaders emphasized the importance of a holistic approach to addressing these challenges and called on all stakeholders to work together to create a more equitable and peaceful future for South Sudan.