Feature Story
Women activists under the South Sudan coalition for peace are urging president Salva Kiir Mayardit to remove men occupying their positions in the Revitalized government of national Unity.
They argue that the thirty five percent women representation is not only limited to a certain level of the government, but women can aim at presidency and address their issues.
A civil society activist Stella Morikino stresses that women issues are huge and can only be tackled when women are fully represented at all levels. She encourages her fellow women to form a party and contest in the upcoming elections because they have the capacity to work in any position to table and resolve their problems.
‘Women can even come up with a party and stand for Presidency. We already have a vice president as a woman. So we can also aim at presidency. The Thirty five percent women representation is not limited to a level, position, or institution. It comes across all. So we can also aim at Presidency. Women issues are diverse and it is only women who can be involved to identify their problems and issues and come up with solutions to them. So their representation if vital in achieving gender equality and gender equity’.
South Sudan parties that signed Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) dated 12th September 2018 in Ethiopia-Addis Ababa, are obligated to legally uphold women presentation and participation in the peace agreement implementation by affirmative action of at least 35%.
Secretary-General of Voice for Change who is also a member of South Sudan coalition for peace, Lona James Elia says men are occupying their places.
She appeals to the leaders to reconsider the 35 percent and remove men who have taken over the women’s positions in the unity government.
Lona emphasizes on appointment based on merits to deliver good services to people, but not just any other woman. She adds that if the leaders lack women to select, they should be informed to give them list of qualified women to represent the 35 percent.
‘According to OXFAM international, South Sudanese women continue to confront obstacles to maintaining and increasing space to contribute particularly in formal decision-making arenas’
Stella Morikino calls for more chances to be given to women to achieve their objectives.
‘If only opportunities are given to other more, we can achieve our objectives and goals’
Morikino recommends that women should represent in all the three government sectors, including, Executive, Legislature and the judiciary.
‘My recommendation to the government is to have inclusive government. We have three arms of the government, including the executive, legislature and the judiciary and we have women who have experience and education in those sectors and they should be considered because women have issues related to all these. We have for example, women access and right to ownership of land which falls under the legislature. So these are all issues that need women to be present to table them’.
She calls on the government to strengthen girl child education so that women can achieve their 35 percent.
‘We also need the government to consider girl child education which is key because without girl child education, women cannot achieve the thirty five percent. So we need girl child education to be reinforced and more action should be taken by the government and also the existing organizations that work with women and child education’.
Morikino calls on the women to take action to move forward.
UNFPA representative, Viola Riak calls for more efforts to achieve gender equality in South Sudan.
‘The fact remains that a lot needs to be done. A progress has been made but gender equality is yet to be achived in its full sence’, says Viola.
Josephine Chandiru from STEWARD WOMEN calls for change of attitude towards gender equality.
‘Achieving gender equality requires a lot of changes at institutional level, societal and individual level in terms of changing attitudes’.
UNHCR representative Ketevan Kamashitez acknowledges that the role of women in South Sudan and globally is being neglected.
‘We should be clear that the role of women in South Sudan and globally is undermined and women are not treated equally that’s why a number of activities that we are talking today are important to contribute to change of behavior, change of attitude, practice and change of communities’ mindset that a woman should be treated equally’