The National Press Club–South Sudan (NPC-SS) has called on lawmakers to take a frontline role in promoting women’s participation in leadership and challenging harmful social norms at the grassroots level.
Speaking on Tuesday during a HeForShe refresher training in Juba, NPC-SS Program Coordinator Moses Ayume said many women are still hesitant to speak out or pursue leadership roles due to long-standing cultural barriers.
“I don’t know if the honorable members have tried to reach out to speak to some women,” he said. “You realize there are some who just undermine… They may not speak out, but they are feeling inside. Is this going to go forward?”
Ayume said the involvement of lawmakers is essential, particularly in sharing their personal journeys to motivate grassroots women to understand, claim, and exercise their rights. He added that when women see leaders engaging them directly, their confidence grows.
“This is very real, so this is a very important reason why men must be involved,” he noted.
Ayume outlined the role of HeForShe peer groups in supporting women, including meeting women’s groups, discussing their rights, encouraging them to stand for leadership positions, and addressing harmful practices.
“We talk to them about the value of being strong… at family, even at the community level,” he said.
Ayume further highlighted the need to dismantle restrictive gender norms that assign roles based on sex rather than ability. He said such norms continue to suppress women’s voices, limit their education opportunities, and exclude them from decision-making.
He also underscored the importance of encouraging political participation among women, saying communities and political parties should work to support and nominate more women for leadership roles.
“There is no real transformation without changing these beliefs,” he added.
Meanwhile, Jackline Matthew Gaza, the former deputy secretary general of the Women’s Caucus in the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), said she is glad that the campaign on promoting women’s participation is beginning to gain momentum.
“I am happy that the idea that began just as a simple campaign by words has now come practicalltoon the ground and we are already extending it out to our population out there,” she said. “I think it is very important based on all the presentations.”
The lawmaker also supported the idea of ensuring there is a social change in the grassroots, noting that empowering women is paramount.
“I think this is the perception that we need to say no to because it is not just about women’s issues and their gender equality or women’s empowerment, because women’s empowerment is not only beneficial to women, but to all of us as a society,” she said. “It is very important for men to support women and raise their voice that a woman should be raised.”