By Mary Poni
Voice for Change (VFC) a community-based organization (CBO) is working in partnership with other international and national NGOs to campaign against violation of women and girls’ rights in the community as they engage in the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence (GBV).
The 16 days of activism is a campaign which is held every year to demonstrate an end to gender based violence activities exercised and still ongoing yet in the other parts of the country especially in the Stated where most women and girls are victims of rape, force marriages and among others.
In a press release extended to No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper VFC GBV coordinator, Suzan Michael stated that this year’s 16 days of activism campaign, they are having a three months response project on sexual gender-based violence in four administrative blocks of Juba city, including Juba, Kator, Munuki and Rajaf payam with support from Care International.
“We have partnered with women groups, religious and local authority leaders who are mostly men” said Suzan Michael GBV coordinator for Voice of Change.
She said the GVB clusters and female inmates at Juba prison will participate in awareness raising about gender-based violence challenges discriminatory practices and called for improved services to end violence against women in the Payams of Juba County.
The advocacy is strongly meant to target the lower and middle classes categorially families, schools, communities and workplaces.
“Violence against women and girls is preventable, not inevitable and violence against women and girls must stop.” Said Suzan Michael.
“As voice for change, we recognize that men are overwhelming the perpetrators of GBV and we are very deliberate about targeting men for this change” she noted.
Suzan stated that, it is no secret that shifting such behaviors is hard and slow to put in to implementation but they are determined that true change will come to both men and women working together for gender equality.
“We want to put an end to rape and sexual violence against women and girls in the country” she said.
The 16 days of activism against GBV was a campaign started by activists at the inauguration of the women global institute in 1991 and it continued to be coordinated every year by the center for women global leaderships and it is used as an organizing strategy by individuals and organizations around the world.
This year’s theme is “Take Responsibility and Protect Women and Girls against GBV”. And invite everyone to play this very important role.