JONGLEI – “Today is the perfect example of women’s empowerment with so many of us coming together from different ethnicities, locations and experiences. Such occasions give us the opportunity to come together to shape a more peaceful, prosperous future” said Akur Magot, a women’s representative.
Akur, a mother of five, has taken a rare day off her usual fishing and farming activities to participate in the International Women’s Day celebration coordinated by the Jonglei Ministry of Gender, Child, and Welfare and hosted by UNMISS and Jonglei State GBV Cluster partners.
She was joined by hundreds of others who used the event to convene, connect and express themselves in colorful cultural performances.
Performances and speeches were accompanied by ululations and affirmations of women’s inherent role in building stronger communities, particularly in South Sudan where they have long been bearing direct consequences of conflict.
Given recent violent outbreaks in Jonglei, the event couldn’t have been timelier, according to Susan Sesay, UNMISS Gender Affairs Officer. “This Women’s Day event is significant as women and girls continue to suffer from growing insecurity across Jonglei. Calling on authorities to prevent violence against women and to protect women’s rights is, therefore, vital right now.”
“We cannot keep living through repeated cycles of conflict. It’s time for things to change,” shared another women’s representative, Atheur Omot, whose husband was killed during one of the many violent confrontations that Jonglei communities have witnessed over the years. Left with seven children to support and a destroyed, she spends all day taking water to surrounding restaurants or providing laundry services.
Yet there was no sign of complaint in her voice. Instead, it was marked by determination to create a better future for her children. “If I didn’t undertake menial labour, I wouldn’t be able to send my children to school. And, as all of us here agree, educating our children, the next generation, is the key to change this country.”
Even after the event ended, the spirit of empowerment remained. “Only when girls and women rise, will Jonglei – will South Sudan – rise,” said Grace Ayen, Protection Officer at Africa Initiative for Rural Development.
By Jaella Brockmann
