The promise of South Sudanese girls cannot be realised without equal access to education and security in all its forms. Gender inequality is one of the most relevant indicators of South Sudan’s fragility that if not addressed will continue to affect the country in its struggle for stability. Girls and young women are a high priority in the UN Women’s Generation Equality initiative, which seeks to accelerate the achievement of gender equity goals. In no country is this agenda more urgent than in South Sudan where girls are exposed to the difficult realities stemming from problems such as economic crises, inter-communal violence, and natural disasters.

Understanding that the challenges of our time require the influence and leadership of the generations, that will be addressing some of the greatest threats humankind has faced such as climate change and global pandemics; UN Women created the Generation Equality Forum founded on a 5-year Global Acceleration Plan.

This is for gender equity and it intends to realise the objectives of the Beijing Platform for Action and reach the Sustainable Development Goals. This effort is adopted by the Government of South Sudan through the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare. UN Women has rallied activists who took part in the development of the Beijing Platform for Action and joined them with young change-makers to achieve Generation Equality goals.

Youth all over the world are speaking out about social justice issues. We are hearing from them concerning poverty, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, racism, climate change and all forms of inequality. Generation Equality seeks to grow the influence of girls especially in regions where their leadership is not fully supported.

South Sudanese girls and young women experience various forms of violence from a young age. In addition to intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence, young women and girls are exposed to destructive practices such as child, early and forced marriage. Their exposure to GBV is worsened by inter-communal conflicts, natural disasters, and the pandemic. GBV accounts for one of the forms of insecurity that negatively impacts South Sudanese girls’ well-being and their place in society. Globally, evidence indicates that GBV experienced by girls and women is significantly underreported. According to UN Women data, under 40 per cent of women who experience violence seek the help of any sort and many do not report their experiences or seek redress from formal mechanisms.[1]

In South Sudan, girls are largely dependent on traditional justice mechanisms which contradict statutory laws and legally ratified frameworks that outline legal protections for the security and welfare of girls and women.

Grim statistics

According to the World Bank, South Sudanese girls are less likely to complete primary and secondary education than boys.  Girls and young women from the ages of 15 to 19 are more vulnerable to maternal deaths than completing primary school.[2] Accordingly, just 16 per cent of women over 15 are literate compared to 40 per cent of men.[3] There is a high drop-out rate of girls especially in the secondary years of schooling.[4] The country has one of the world’s lowest literacy rates at 35 per cent for those aged 15 years and older and girls are worse affected.[5]

Girls’ lack of education has far-reaching effects that weaken the prospects for South Sudan’s future as they are destabilising the country as a whole. Without education girls’ future potential earnings are reduced thus stagnating possible economic growth from a significant segment of the country’s population. As most households in South Sudan are headed by women, the consequences of suppressed earning have a reverberating impact. The well-being of all household members is affected, and the cycle of poverty and insecurity is further entrenched. Quite simply, inequality has devastating outcomes.

Lack of education also prevents girls and women from participating fully in political and public life. South Sudan is implementing the Revitalised Agreement for the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan’s 35 per cent affirmative action for allocation of positions at all levels of government to women. Although there is some progress, the country is still working on meeting the 35 per cent mark. Nonetheless, women’s viability as leaders in government is highly dependent on the knowledge, skills and confidence that formal education affords. Still, girls’ leadership of all walks of life, from the most educated to the highly vulnerable segments of the population need to be encouraged and given a platform. The experiences and needs of girls and young women are best understood and articulated by them. No one should be left behind in public life and self-determination is especially vital to individuals who are at the most risk posed by the various shocks the country absorbs, whether related to the economy or contentious political divisions.

Leadership positions are still difficult for the most highly experienced, skilled and educated women. Social norms and regressive notions of women and girls’ place in society is one of the principal barriers to their security and their participation in public life. Prejudices and stereotypes are used as reasoning for why girls and women cannot lead. A woman’s place is in her home. They are not smart enough; they are too emotional to make sound decisions. These ill-conceived ideas are formidable obstacles that not only impede girls and women’s participation in civic life but also consign them to areas focused on gender and child welfare yet their influence is urgently required in all sectors.

The benefits of women’s leadership show women’s participation in peace processes results in more sustainable agreements. Indeed, the participation of women was instrumental in South Sudan’s peace process for the R-ARCSS. One study[6]  that analysed 130 peace agreements signed since 1990 found a significant correlation between agreements signed by women and the durability of these agreements. Findings showed that there were more provisions in final agreements centered on political reform, higher implementation rates of those provisions, which increased the agreements sustainability. Highlighting the costs of the lack of inclusion of girls and women in political processes would help any push for their participation in key decision-making arenas. UN Women proposes that gender equity in South Sudan will be significantly correlated with the country’s stability. That is, the more gender equality in South Sudan, the more stable the country will be.

Bridging gap

The Generation Equality Forum proposes several actions in support of girls and women which are wholly relevant to the South Sudanese context. Adolescent girls and young women drafted action the Feminist Movements and Leadership blueprint, which calls for strengthening young feminist-led and girl-led movements, and organisations. Concerning issues of girls’ leadership and participation, the following are examples of actions from Global Acceleration Plan:  

• Increase leadership and meaningful participation of girl-led and women’s rights organizations and movements particularly those led by historically excluded women and girls facing multiple and intersecting forms of violence and discrimination, in national and international decision-making, by 2026.
• Increase national funding to girl-led and women’s rights organizations working to address GBV by USD 500,000,000 by 2026.
• 30% of humanitarian funding to address GBV goes directly to Women’s rights organizations by 2026.

The plan aims at strengthening the inclusion of adolescent girls and their priorities into the Global Acceleration Plan. All actions include girls in most priorities, modalities and targets. Some of the actions specifically address the needs of girls. For example, the Gender-Based Violence Action Coalition calls for evidence-based prevention strategies that tackle root causes through various stages, starting with young women and adolescent girls. In South Sudan, more data is needed to verify and understand the conditions of girls. The targets include issues that adolescent girls prioritize, such as education and harmful practices affecting girls and women.

GBV actions include but are not limited to the following:

• 550 million more women and girls will live in countries with laws and policies prohibiting all forms of gender-based violence against women and girls by 2026.
• 55 more countries will have no exceptions to legal age of marriage along with policy measures to end the practice by 2026 and three quarters of countries where FGM is known to be practiced will have legal prohibitions and policy measures against FGM in place by 2026.
• 159 countries globally will have at least one survey on the prevalence of violence against women from the last ten years by 2026
• 100 national governments revise and strengthen school and teacher training curricula to include effective approaches to prevent GBV and promote gender equality and respectful relationships by 2026.
• Prevent child, early and forced marriages and unions of 9 million girls and adolescents by 2026.
• 100 countries implement training and capacity building initiatives for law enforcement personnel on gender-responsive policing, including addressing gender-based violence against women and girls in all their diversity by 2026.

The Generation Equality, Economic Justice and Rights Action Coalition prioritizes girls’ education, addressing their burden of unpaid work. South Sudanese girls work at home, fetching water, caring for siblings, to help sustain their families too often at the expense of their education. Empowering women by supporting their rights to land and property is essential to securing women and girls.

Economic justice actions include:

• 17 million fewer working women living in extreme poverty. Decrease the gap in labor force participation between prime-age women and men with small children at home by half (from 50.0% to 25.0%), resulting in an additional 84 million women joining the labor force.
• Secure access to ownership and control over land and housing is increased for 7 million women. The gender gap in women’s financial inclusion is reduced to 6% as a result of increasing both formal and informal financial inclusion. The number of firms owned by women is increased by 25%.

UN Women works closely with the Ministry of Gender and Child and Social Welfare to achieve Generation Equality goals and through the hard work of several other ministries, national institutions,  civil society, and women networks at national and local levels. Interventions undertaken focus on supporting women’s economic empowerment and livelihoods, building new young leaders, protecting women and girls from GBV, inclusive and gender-responsive governance, peace and security, and legislative frameworks. The call for the acceleration of reaching gender equity goals is a matter of concern for all. It is time to consolidate gains made, and concentrate all efforts for the continued promotion of the rights of girls as key contributors to the future of South Sudan.