By Adia Jildo
The Ministry of Youth and Sport is promising to channel fifty percent (50%) of the grant donated by African Development Bank to support women activities. The grant is for raising financial capacity and civic awareness through the establishment of youth enterprises for youth and women in South Sudan.
The National minister of youth and sports Albino Bol said the 50% of the grant would be able to support women through raising their capacity, and empowering them financially to reduce cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) among communities.
“We are giving 50% of the fund to the young ladies to raise their capacity in all the different states of South Sudan. This will contribute to their empowerment and I believe if we do so, we will be able to reduce the tension of SGBV,” the Minister said.
Albino said women capacity and civic awareness cannot be achieved if financial capacity is not built.
“For us to establish the youth and women enterprises, it will give our young ladies to go for businesses in different aspects of life,” he said.
Albino stated that most people who are experiencing violence might be because of poverty and bad family situations which might therefore be the cause of aggression.
He cited majority of South Sudanese men being culprits stating that majority of people don’t have the understanding of women as their spouses and therefore there is no mutual respect.
“Majority of youth are the ones committing crimes against our women. Young ladies are humans like us, let us respect them, and let us have mutual understanding.”
“To the parents, ladies are not for auctions, they are human beings like men. Let us give them opportunity for education and business,” he emphasized.
He said women capacity should be raised, teaching them to know their rights so as to raise their voices against violence by reporting cases of SGBV.
“Empowerment of the young women economically is the way forward. If a lady has access to funds she becomes an entrepreneur, she cannot be forced to marry because of cows, she will decide whom to marry,” he said, adding that empowerment will reduce cases of SGBV in the community.
He also encouraged men who are abused my women not to keep silent but report those issues to court too because justice is for all.