Western Bahr El Ghazal Starts 16 Days Of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Hundreds of women in Western Bahr el Ghazal have today marched on the streets in Wau town at the start of 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence. 25 November 2013
*By James Deng Dimo WAU, 25 November 2013[Gurtong] - *The march began from Wau Peace Playground and ended at the state council of ministers premises where the state governor Rizik Zackaria Hassan and members from the United Nations addressed the gathered. The celebrations of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence is considered as a unique event commemorated worldwide annually due to strong history of its foundation which originated from the first women’s global leadership institute in 1991. The day was chosen to commemorate the death of the three Mirabel sisters who were detained, toured and assassinated in 1960 during the dictatorship of Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. Today it is internationally recognized as a day of protest. In the message read by women representative Viola Philip, the participants in that world conference chose 25th November each year to launch the 16th days for campaigns for the elimination of all violence against women. Viola said the 16-day campaign is used as a tool to organize strategies by individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women by raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human right at local, national, regional and international levels. The women call for strengthening local work around violence against women and establishing clear links between local and international work to end violence against women. They went further to chose 10th December of every year to mark the International Human Rights Day, also closing of the 16th days activism campaign against women in order to symbolically link violence against women with human rights to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights. Leaders urged the state government to implement promises made to eliminate violence women. “Sexual exploitation and abuse are unacceptable behaviours that remain a main challenge facing primary members of the local population,” said UN state coordinator Winne Babihuga. She said sexual exploitation includes the exchange of money, food, goods services or any other form of assistance for sexual favours or demands. “The perpetrator is usually a person in legitimate authority, who abuses his authority by demanding or accepting sexual acts in exchange for the exercise of that authority,” said Bibahuga. In South Sudan, at least four out of ten women have experienced one or more forms of violence, with many more cases going unreported. Displacements due to conflict and natural disasters, coupled with high levels of food insecurity, exacerbate the incidence of gender-based violence across the country. Alarmingly, studies show that 8 out of 10 South Sudanese seem to have tolerance for violence against women. Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) calls for a greater respect for the rights of women and girls, urging countries to take measures to protect them from gender based violence, and to support their participation in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction. The UN Security Council has, through its resolution 1960, also requested separate country level mechanisms to monitor and report on incidences of conflict related to sexual violence, both in South Sudan and in other countries. The UN family in South Sudan is committed to assisting with the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence and in putting the gender policy into practice that will lead to tangible results for women and girls in the country. Through strong partnerships between government, NGOs and communities, prevention and response programs will be put in place that enhance the rights of women and girls and help them live free from the threat of violence. Posted in: Home<http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/CategoryView/mid/519/categoryId/1/Home.aspx>, Governance<http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/CategoryView/mid/519/categoryId/6/Governance.aspx>, Featured Stories<http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/CategoryView/mid/519/categoryId/137/Featured-Stories.aspx> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14opr%2B9n%3D05N%2BZx%3DA-_%2B%2B3%3DemFqnrpThKht%2BXyMChryEr0g%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
