Young women and women’s rights organisations are calling for renewed action to advance South Sudan’s delayed Anti-Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Bill, saying stronger laws are needed to improve women’s access to protection and justice.
The call came during a four-day consultative workshop in Juba reviewing progress and challenges surrounding the Anti-GBV Bill, Maputo Protocol and Family Law Bill.
Organised by Global Voices Organization South Sudan in collaboration with Equality Now and the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, the workshop is part of the Justice for Her campaign, which seeks to strengthen access to justice for women, particularly young women.
Josephine Chandiru-Drama, Executive Director of Global Voices Organization, said the meeting aims to identify information gaps and agree on concrete actions to advance the legal reforms.
“We need to come together as a dedicated network or coalition with a strong voice to push for the enactment of the Anti-GBV Bill,” Chandiru-Drama said.
She said the bill is currently at the Ministry of Justice and urged authorities to provide citizens with an update on its progress and the challenges delaying its advancement.
“The first key to solving an issue is understanding the issue,” she said.
Chandiru-Drama identified limited funding and civil society organisations working in silos as key challenges affecting advocacy efforts.
She said the temporary absence of a functioning parliament should not stop stakeholders from continuing their work, noting that parliament will eventually resume.
The workshop also examined barriers preventing survivors of gender-based violence from reporting abuse and accessing services.
Global Voices provides free legal advice, counselling and representation, while community focal persons and referral pathways help connect survivors with health facilities, police, legal aid and psychosocial support.
Chandiru-Drama urged communities to help survivors understand their rights and available services.
“The best way of helping a person is to show them where to go,” she said.
Participants also discussed common advocacy messages and specific demands for government, parliament and other stakeholders as they seek to strengthen women’s rights and justice in South Sudan.
