Women To Intensify Advocacy On Constitution Making

This article was last updated on May 25, 2022

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The event scheduled to take place next week from 6-10 May targets to bring a number of organizations advocating on the right of women with the President expected to attend the event.

“The purpose of this conference is to bring together women from the ten states of South Sudan to provide a forum for national dialogue on the constitution making and forge a common vision that recognizes minority aspirations, with an intention to advocate for provisions that enhance gender-sensitive legislation, democratic practices, accountability, culture of the rule of law and inclusive decision-making,” Mathew Palek, Chief Executive Officer of South Sudan Women Empowerment Network (SSWEN) told press.

At least six women Civil Society Organizations all gathered at the Association of Media Development of South Sudan (AMDISS) to address the media today over the anticipated conference.

They said gender equality is recognized in South Sudan’s key governance instruments including the Transitional Constitution (2011) as central pillars for building lasting peace and sustainable development. However, a number of challenges still stand on the way to women’s social, economic and political empowerment, said the activists.

Some of the key challenges noted in the governance instruments include lack of democratic space for dialogue, low level of engagement between civil society and parliamentarians, lack of wider participation, poor integration of the regional and international human rights instruments into the Bill of rights that has undermined women participation and leadership capacities in the various governance structures in the South Sudan, the activists pointed out.

She added that the other objective of the conference is also aimed at consolidating and collating all the women views collected from the ten States and build consensus and to be presented to the National Transitional Constitutional Review Commission.

Other key issues of concern during the conference to tackle Palek said will include marriageable age, increasing women affirmative action, issue of women with disability and issue of the customary law among others.

South Sudan currently is on the process of working out a permanent constitution to replace the Transitional Constitution 2011.