“I’m very happy because now I’m aware of what the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 is. I’m aware of my rights, about what I can ask for and what I cannot.”

Maria Agok has just attended a one-day workshop in Tonj, “a real eye-opener”, she says, on the content of the world body’s recognition of the disproportionate effect of wars on the lives of women and girls. The groundbreaking resolution number 1325, adopted 19 years ago, states the rights of females in armed conflicts.

Amongst these entitlements is the crucial right of women to participate in decision-making processes in a fair and proportionate way.

This is not, according to several women present at the training organized by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, happening in their country.

“We have many challenges when it comes to how we (women) can fight for our rights, because many men look down upon us,” says Rebecca Loong Tat, an activist for gender equality and also the Tonj secretary for anti-corruption issues.

Ms. Tat cites the unfairly small representation of women in positions of influence in the ongoing National Dialogue as one example of rights being ignored, and describes it as a form of “corruption”.

She, and several of her peers, called on the government to fully implement the provision, as stated in last year’s revitalized peace agreement, of giving women at least 35 per cent representation in all decision-making bodies at both the local and national level.

Several other issues, all related to the neglect of a variety of women’s rights, were raised at the workshop, including the persistent occurrence of harmful cultural practices, domestic violence and sexual assaults. Impunity for the perpetrators, who are rarely convicted for their crimes, was cited as another serious problem.

More than 30 women from various government departments and civil society organizations attended the workshop.