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Dear John,
There is cause for celebration this Women’s History Month in South Sudan.
On February 24, 2023, the President of South Sudan, H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, signed four international conventions into law, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol), one of the most advanced treaties on the protection of women’s and girls rights anywhere in the world.
The movement toward the ratification of the Maputo Protocol by Africa’s youngest nation is a sign of meaningful progress toward realizing the rights of women and girls in South Sudan.
5.43 million women and girls in South Sudan face a range of human rights violations rooted in multiple layers of violence and discrimination, including sexual abuse, harassment, intimidation, exclusion, and restrictions of movement, compounded by a lack of access to justice. Around 65% of women and girls experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, according to UNICEF, with the most common form being abuse by husbands or partners. For women, customary laws tend to prevail, with rape cases - where reported - handled by community elders. Impunity for perpetrators is also due to a weak legal system, consisting of a mixture of formal and customary laws.
An incredible victory for Equality Now and our partner organizations, and women and girls across South Sudan
For almost 20 years, Equality Now supported women’s rights organizations under the Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) Coalition to advocate for the universal ratification of the Maputo Protocol across Africa. SOAWR member Steward Women and the Coalition of Civil Society on the Ratification of Maputo Protocol in South Sudan have steered the national campaign in South Sudan since 2012.
Initial advocacy efforts Equality Now instigated in 2012 led to the South Sudan parliament passing a motion for the ratification of the Maputo Protocol in 2014. However, what remained was for the government of South Sudan to sign it officially. The recent news is a result of over a decade of advocacy across the women’s movement in South Sudan and beyond. The next step in the full ratification of the Maputo Protocol is for South Sudan to deposit the instruments of ratification with the African Union Commission.
We hope to celebrate this final step in South Sudan’s decade-long journey to ratification.
In solidarity,
Faiza Jama Mohamed
Director, Africa
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