South Sudan women voices concern over rising cases of intimidation, rape

JUBA – The Eastern Equatoria Women’s Union in South Sudan on Friday called on the government to give priority to women’s security issues in the forthcoming permanent constitution, citing rising cases of intimidation, rape, and harassment.

Speaking during closing of a workshop on the constitution-making process in Torit on Friday, Flora Anyoo Charles, the Deputy Chairperson of the Eastern Equatoria Women’s Union, stressed that women continue to face serious threats and called for clear protections to be enshrined in the country’s supreme law.

“Women are facing several issues related to insecurity. We face numerous problems, including intimidation, rape, and harassment. We want such issues to be addressed in the permanent constitution,” said Charles.

Charles urged the government to identify and address issues affecting women in the upcoming constitution.
“We are grateful, and we hope our grievances will be addressed. We have experienced gender issues and have been through a transition, but we call for the government to take our concerns seriously in the permanent constitution,” she said.

For his part, Morris John Peter, the legal officer for the Support Peace Initiative Development Organisation, emphasised that the symposium aims to enhance the capacity of community members to engage in the permanent constitution-making process.

“People have agreed on the need for a federal democratic system. People have also proposed resource sharing, with 70 percent of resources allocated to the state and 30 percent to the national government,” he said.

Fredrick Pasquale, the Director of Administration and Finance for the Ministry of Parliamentary and Legal Affairs in Eastern Equatoria State said that the symposium aims to gather views that will be incorporated into the permanent constitution.

“We are engaging the communities on issues of constitution-making. People have discussed at length elements such as merit-based appointments, youth participation, and the Bill of Rights with regard to the rights of women and 35 percent affirmative action,” said Pasquale.

The community symposium, organised by the Support Peace Initiative Development Organisation (SPIDO), was funded by the United Nations Development Programme’s Access to Justice Strengthening Programme.