Women soldiers from the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF)’s Third Infantry Division in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State are pushing for the recognition of women’s and girl’s rights and empowerment in all institutions across the country.
The female soldiers told South Sudanese local radio station Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday afternoon following a series of child protection and conflict management workshops funded by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) through its Child Protection Unit in Aweil town.
Captain Arek Malek, said she has witnessed the mistreatment of women by men in families and also at workplaces and called for more participation of women in managing family and community affairs.
“I have observed that men fell short on women’s rights because there some uneducated men who bar their wives from officials duties,” she said. “However, if women are educated and given chances, they must support their families as well if their husbands are jobless.”
Another female soldier, Sidonia Abuk Khon, acknowledged that women face a lot of challenges when it comes to family administration, adding that men refuse to help their wives bring up the kids.
“Women are suffering in bringing up children yet it takes much effort to take care of children and men do not care about the welfare of children,” she stated.
For her part, Sergeant Major Treza Nyanut Adhal said men and women all have equal rights and this virtue prohibits all forms of domestic violence and discrimination against women in communities. She called for the promotion of conflict resolution mechanisms at the grassroots level.
“If the truth must be said, t men and women have equal rights and there is no room for domestic violence,” Nyanut charged. “If neighbors are disputing, you should intervene to calm the situation or call a conflict resolution meeting.”
Another Sergeant Major who identified herself as Veronica Abang Dut blamed men for inequalities in social life and recommended peaceful coexistence and team building among spouses.
“We the women are all neglected and the disputes between men and women are unfruitful,” said Abang. “It is good for couples to understand themselves because most of the responsibilities in a home like children rearing and management are done by women.”
