By Deng Ghai Deng<\/p>\n
UN Women, in collaboration with the United Nations in South Sudan, organized a significant event in Juba to mark the 16 Days of Activism.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The event brought together key stakeholders, including the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Netherlands, the Chief of Capacity Building at UNMISS, members of the media, civil society organizations, women-led organizations, and expert panelists.<\/p>\n Korto Williams, UN Women\u2019s Programme Specialist for Women\u2019s Political Participation, spoke on behalf of Dr. Rukaya Mohammed, UN Women Country Representative (a.i.), and shed light on the persistent challenges facing women in South Sudan.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we move towards the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, we are reminded of the urgent need to address persistent issues such as Gender-Based Violence (GBV). This year\u2019s femicide report by UN Women and UNODC underscores the gravity of the situation: every 10 minutes, a woman is killed by an intimate partner or family member globally,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn South Sudan, nearly half of all women experience intimate partner violence, and 25% of reported sexual violence cases involve child victims. These figures are not just statistics; they represent lives shattered and underscore the systemic failures to protect and uphold the rights and dignity of women and girls,” she added.<\/p>\n “Despite these alarming realities, South Sudan has made significant strides, as highlighted in the recently compiled Beijing +30 South Sudan Report. The implementation of the 35% affirmative action quota under the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement has paved the way for increased women’s representation in decision-making roles, including the appointment of a female vice president and eight ministers. Progress has also been made in education, healthcare, and economic empowerment, with initiatives like ‘Education Cannot Wait’ and the South Sudan Women\u2019s Economic Empowerment Project benefiting thousands of households. These successes demonstrate that meaningful change is possible, but they also highlight the need for continued investment and commitment to ensure that no woman or girl is left behind,” she narrated.<\/p>\n Joseph Francis, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, delivered a message on behalf of the Mary Nawai, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.<\/p>\n He reiterated the government\u2019s commitment to combating violence against women, stating, \u201cNo one should be subjected to any form of violence, and we stand firmly against all perpetrators.\u201d<\/p>\n Bouwe-Jan Smeding, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Juba, underscored the collective responsibility to end violence against women. \u201cEvery day is an opportunity to make a difference,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Netherlands is proud to have funded Gender-Based Violence (GBV) courts in South Sudan, proving that even small efforts can create significant impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n Victoria M. Matjila, Chief of Capacity Building at UNMISS UNPOL, spoke on behalf of UNMISS Police Commissioner Christine Fossen.<\/p>\n She urged the South Sudanese government to expedite the passage of the Anti-GBV Bill to criminalize violence against women and hold perpetrators accountable.<\/p>\n \u201cUNMISS UNPOL is committed to supporting the National Police Service by building their capacity to effectively prevent and respond to all forms of GBV against women and girls across South Sudan,\u201d Matjila stated.<\/p>\n Artists showcased their paintings highlighting the issue of gender-based violence, while women entrepreneurs displayed their products and spoke passionately about the significance of the 16 Days of Activism campaign.<\/p>\n They emphasized the message that there is #NoExcuse for violence against women and girls, calling for collective action to bring it to an end.<\/p>\n UN Women continues to advocate for robust actions to eliminate gender-based violence, urging all stakeholders to prioritize the safety, dignity, and empowerment of women and girls in South Sudan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Deng Ghai Deng UN Women, in collaboration with the United Nations in South Sudan, organized a significant event in Juba to mark the 16 Days of Activism. The event brought together key stakeholders, including the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the Deputy Head of Mission at the[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":31361,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Participants-during-the-event.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31360"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31362,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31360\/revisions\/31362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}