Author: Emmanuel J. Akile | Published: 13 hours ago
Rita Lopidia the Executive Director of EVE Organization for Women Development reading a press statement on behalf of women on Wednesday – credit | Charles Wote | Eye Radio | Oct. 20, 2021
A South Sudanese civil society activist has appealed for a collective effort to end cultural norms that suppress women rights in the country.
Rita Lopidia – the Executive Director for Eve Organization for Women Development – says women continue to be deprived of their human rights, despite their improving representation at both national and state government levels.
Mrs. Lopidia said more needs to be done to protect and respect women’s rights.
Speaking to the United States Institute of Peace in Washington DC last week, she called for an end to early and forced marriage in the country.
She said her organization has launched an early marriage awareness and prevention in three states in South Sudan.
“We will work with men and raise their awareness on issues that are happening to women. So this initiative we have launched it in three states in South Sudan that is Eastern Equatoria where we have a lot of challenges of the girl child marriage,” Rita said.
“Recently we had a conversation with them in the community, raising the awareness of young men on why it is very important to fight some of the social norms that actually put women down.”
“The second one is establishing in Central Equatoria and one in Western Bahr el Ghazal. So we hope we work closely with men to promote the interest of women and take inclusivity as important.”
The interim constitution accords women shall be accorded full and equal dignity of the person with men.
The Constitution also stipulates that women shall have the right to participate equally with men in public life.
But women in the country complain of prevailing inequality such as inadequate access to education and health care, among others.
According to a UN report, many women and girls in the country are not provided the opportunity to go to school, but stay at home to help their families.
As a result, they are the most illiterate group in the country, says the report.
Rights activists in the country say women have a long way to go in attaining equality.
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