As South Sudan joined the world to celebrate International Women’s Day, Gender and Social Welfare Minister Aya Benjamin Warile has urged women to fight for their rights.
International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8th every year. This year’s event in South Sudan was held in Mundri West County in Western Equatoria State.
The event was held under the theme, “Accelerate Gender Inclusion for Productive Resources.”
Speaking during the celebrations, Minister Warile said women in South Sudan were underrepresented in leadership positions because they don’t fight their way to power and instead, they rely on the 35 percent affirmative action stipulated in the transitional constitution.
“As a ministry, we appreciate International Women’s Day. Two years ago, we came out with a resolution that every year, the celebration should be taken to the states. Last year, it was in Wau, but later, we found that it shouldn’t only be in the state capitals. Let it be in the counties; that is why we are here in the greater Mundri,” she said.
“Rural women contribute to food security; they are very important in building climate resilience and in strengthening the economy of the country, yet this inequality we are talking about, such as discriminatory laws and social norms combined with fast-changing economic, technological and environmental landscapes restrict their full potential, leaving them far behind men,” the minister observed.
She said that out of the 800 police graduands recently, only 10 percent were women, urging parents to take responsibility for their children’s future.
“Some days back, the police were graduated around 800 and above. I asked how many women were there and they said around 800, out of which just 10 percent were women. This percentage will not just come like that; you (women) have to work for it. If you don’t want to join the police, prisons, wildlife service, fire brigade and even politics, how will we progress?” She asked.
Christine City, the Chairperson of the Women’s League in Mundri West, said the challenges facing women in the county include a lack of opportunities and called on women to follow the vision of the country, which is unity and peace.
“Today’s celebration looks different as we celebrate International Women’s Day. We need to know our roles as women; we are the mothers; we don’t need division; a mother is a mother,” she said.
Christine pointed out that the state remains an agricultural hub where the vision of South Sudan should be nurtured for peace and love to prevail.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Western Equatoria State, Gen. Alfred Futuyo Karaba, said his government has been empowering women by constructing maternity wards in two counties to fight off the challenges facing them.