By Yang Ater
Peace organization in Lakes state organized a meeting with women of greater Agaar clan to discuss issues of early and forced marriage, avoiding brewing local alcoholic and avoiding aggressive songs and many others.
Mary Arun Gol, Gender Mainstreaming Coordinator in Jonglei, greater Pibor Administrative Area and Rumbek said, “we Peace organization in Rumbek brought women from Rumbek Centre, Rumbek East and Rumbek North counties together from different sections of Agaar to share their ideals and engage them in exploring their roles in conflict and peace by breaking a chain of hatred and building a strong network of forgiveness and unity across the communities.
“We strengthen the women participation in peacebuilding and to play their roles in conflict reduction and community transformation.
She urges women to run a campaign around the villages and cattle camps to stop brewing of alcohols and composition of aggressive songs which fuel conflicts among the communities.
She desires the women to be drivers of peace and nurture the mindset of widows to be trauma free by sharing their stories, and to adapt and maintain culture of peace in the community, to identify participants during the consultative for the women peace conference next month under the theme “women as pillars in sustaining peace in the community.”
She urged women to advocate for the promotion of girl child education in order to reduce early and forced marriages which are common in Dinka Agaar land.
She advised the women to reduce child labor especially in the village where children are subjected to hard domestic labor in the context of culture.
Agum Ater Majing Dier, told the women to restore the cultural values and norms, saying “adopting some cultures from other tribes destroy our own cultures, so let us persuade our husbands to allow our girls to study for their future.”