South Sudan’s Warrap State ministry of gender, child, and social welfare trained about 40 women drawn from six counties on peace and reconciliation.
The two-day training under the theme ‘Unity and Social Cohesion between women for meaningful participation in promoting peace in Warrap state’ was supported by the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan Civil Affairs Division.
Warrap state Gender minister, Akoon Madut Tong, said the training which ended on Tuesday was aimed at uniting women in the state.
“This workshop started yesterday (Monday)and finished today on Tuesday, it is for peace and reconciliation. My message for all women of Warrap is for them to unite and be strong, this is how they will discuss their concerns,” Minister Madut said. “We organized this workshop not because there was a conflict of women or disunity but to let them reorganize themselves in all levels of local government structures.”
He added, “I urge men and women of Warrap State to end gender-based violence because we know there is violence against women and children and this is because of communal conflicts in Warrap state. But we hope that the governor is doing his best to calm the insecurity and that violence also will be reduced.”
Two of the participants share their experiences.
“My name is Asunta Akot Bol from Tonj South County. We were trained for two days about unity and the right of women as women remained behind men. We want to be equal with men in every aspect of life. During the then 32 states, we were divided and now we are women of Warrap state and we want to move forward,” she said.
Achol Garang from Tonj North County says, “We have talked about unity of women and their rights and I benefited. The training has taught us how we can stay in peace in our respective counties. We also called on the Warrap state government to appoint one commissioner as a woman to help tackle women issues at grass-root levels for women to be convinced that they are equal to men.”