Action Girls Africa (AGA), in partnership with the British Council and Zain South Sudan, yesterday joined the world in commemorating 16 days of activism against sexual gender-based violence.
The celebration was conducted under the theme, “Digitalisation, Skills Empowerment and Raising Voices” as the vulnerable women groups were trained in handcrafts and were awarded certificates.
The celebration also saw beneficiaries being awarded certificates for completing a course in handcraft skills.
The AGA Executive Director, Kiiko N. Susan, vowed that the organisation would strive to fight for the rights of girls and women.
“We want to continue to advocate for the rights of girls and women as a young organisation, we are moving forward. We started in 2016 and from that time until now there is a difference,” said Susan.
“We aim to look at the grassroots, the most disadvantaged and the most vulnerable. So, we want to ensure that we can bring them up. Next year, we plan to train girls and women on computer skills so that they can make better use of social media. And we shall continue with skills empowerment. “
The Director of Gender, Child and Social Welfare in the national Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, Celina Grace Peter, said Gender-Based Violence should be stopped because it affects everyone, including girls, boys, women, and even men.
“This is the moment that we should be waking up as a country and say, “Wait a moment, why is this thing happening? If we do not think we can achieve anything If we don’t have champions that spearhead and make sure that together we move forward to end this kind of a phenomenon, which is such an ill within our society, ” said Celina.
Call to action
She called for support from the state ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare and directorates to devise ways of empowering vulnerable people at the grassroots.
“In as much as the Ministry of Gender is at the national level, we have this same ministry at the state level, and this is where the real activities happen. This is why we don’t only look at what the ministry of gender does at the national level. Let’s see how we can empower people at the grassroots level, ” she added.
Celina urged partners to buy plots of land for vulnerable women where they could apply skills they have acquired through training.
Noel Ruben, the Finance and Administrator at the British Council, assured AGA of continued support in their activities to empower girls and women.
He said AGA was the best among the five organisations that benefited from the Global Active Citizen Initiative.
“I am very happy because two weeks ago I visited the office of AGA and I could see the results. It was very positive, and I saw women making these nice bags and it uplifted my spirit, and I was able to say something good to my organization about the results of this small funding, ” said Noel.
The Zain South Sudan Communication and Branding Manager, Eliza Isaiah Riyany, urged girls to shun SGBV and act as mouthpieces by teaching other women and girls about the dangers of gender-based violence.
She said girls are the future of South Sudan.
“Zain, with the initiative of women’s empowerment, it is our privilege to always stand with every woman outside, to stand for the rights of girls outside there, to stand with our community at large. My message today is persuasive that gender-based violence is not eligible, ” she said.
“By stopping this violence in our society, we shall believe in the story of survival. Therefore, I am urging all women outside there not to take this behaviour that when we are beaten, it is a section of love.”
AGA operates in Central Equatoria State by supporting life skills empowerment, gender-based violence activities, promotion of education among girls, and other activities related to access to justice and human rights.
She called for proper usage of funds from their beneficiaries, adding that it unlocked new opportunities.
Joint effort
On Tuesday, the Central Equatoria State Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare inaugurated the 16 activism campaign against gender-based violence under the national theme “Take action, be accountable: end violence against women and girls.”
The State Minister of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, Bullen Amos Soro, said GBV was widespread and affected both men and women.
He said most girls have been impregnated during the COVID lockdown, as well as men have experienced mental torture from women, and some of them have committed suicide due to pressure at home.
Soro urged parents to allow the girls who got impregnated during the lockdown to return to school to pursue their studies.
The minister urged parents to stop early marriage and educate girls, saying the resources an educated girl generates would be more than the bride price.
Soro said indecent dressing by girls often encourages sexual violence towards them.
“Our young girls, because of social media, put on short skirts and tight clothes, which make the definition of their bodies. If you don’t agree with me that this is gender-based violence against men, then you are wrong,” he said.
“This is what leads men into committing rape and then blaming the men that they are the ones committing such bad acts. This can be corrected by decent dressing and using long dresses. Also, men, let us avoid violence against our women.”