Male women’s rights champions promote gender equality in South Sudan

By Staff Writer

The male women’s rights champions in Juba are facilitating conversations with their peers on gender equality, Sexual Gender-based Violence (SGBV) and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).

The conversation is geared towards creating awareness on the need for gender equality as well as addressing the cases of sexual gender-based violence and intimate partner violence in the communities.

“This is a call for both women and men to create impact through interaction and sharing ideas equally in the communities. If we are able to do this jointly, we can build equal societies free from gender-based violence as we discourage disparity,” said Peter Malir Biar, the Executive Director at Christian Agency for Peace and Development in South Sudan.

The event was conducted by Christian Agency for Peace and Development (CAPaD) in partnership with the Faith to Action Network in Nairobi. 

At least interfaith leaders and women rights champions participated in the conversation in Juba. These include Islamic Council, Seventh Day Adventists, Pentecostal Church of South Sudan, Presbyterian Church and Episcopal Church of South Sudan.

Akech Evaline, Women and Children’s Director at the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) said the program is instrumental in bettering the communities.

“The discussion is very important in the sense that the topic being tackled is a common phenomenon in the communities. Now that this organization has come up to raise the eyebrow, it is will be of benefit to the entire communities, and the interfaith institutions,” she said during the event on Thursday in Juba.

“Through these specific topics that used to be sensitive in our settings, I believe it will concretely address the gap as it brings about a total change in the society. People will have to refrain from what they have been doing wrongly,” she added.

Jacob Mading Monywut, a Pastor Trainee at the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan described the discussion as useful and tremendous initiative to advocating for truth in the faith-based institutions.

“This program is one of the well and useful programs that I have ever heard, it is out letting the truth that are much hidden within the church and the communities,” he said.

“The truth is all about equality. People are denying equality and in the actually sense people are equal before God,” he added.  

The pastor trainee believed that the initiative has equipped them with the tools in order to face the gaps within the Church the community.

According to Mr.Mading, he will extend the campaign to the people through devotions and preaching in the Church.

The program would also enable the male women’s champions to advocate for gender equality in the Church

The overall goal is to amplify the voices of young women in South Sudan in a bid to discuss ways of addressing gender inequalities in the communities.