Are there no women in the southern Sudan?
By Jane Kani Edward*
Jan 22, 2006 — The decision by the President of the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) Lt. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit to appoint 18 men as under-secretaries for the Ministries and institutions of the Government of Southern Sudan on January 12, 2006 was unconstitutional and discriminatory. Furthermore, the appointment of a man to be an under-secretary of the Ministry of Gender, Social Welfare and Religious Affair is problematic. Why a man? Are there no qualified women in the southern Sudan? Where is the President’s advisor on gender, or the other women who are in the cabinet? Do they have a say on such appointments?
The fact that governments in Sudan in general and southern Sudan in particular are male-dominated is not new; rather it is an old phenomenon. Since the south was granted an autonomous government after the Addis Ababa agreement in 1972, the successive governments of southern Sudan have maintained male dominance. As a result they have marginalized and continue to marginalize the voices, interests and experiences of southern Sudanese women. For example, women are marginalized and excluded from the discussion of political, economic, social and other public affairs that affect the society. And even if women are included, their views and voices were/are not taken into consideration when decisions are made. Therefore, when women are appointed or included, they are only given these positions because the process requires the presences of women. This might explain the position of those women who are in the cabinet of GOSS.
Today, in the field of women and gender studies, gender is seen as a key relational dimension of human activity and thought. Gender is also seen as a socially and culturally constructed notions of women and men, and how these notions structure human society, including their histories, ideologies, economies, politics, and so on. It is a way of locating women and men in the context of differentiated gender relations. In the context of southern Sudan, women are usually located in a subordinate position as compared to men. Similarly, some of the cultural practices, patriarchal ideologies and customary laws of southern Sudan discriminate against and oppress women. Then my question is, how can a man represent women’s interests and voices? How can he advocate for women’s rights in a society historically dominated by men’s interests?
During the 1970s through to the 1980s the argument offered to justify men’s dominance in key decision-making positions, and for that matter representing women is that, there were no educated and qualified women to assume such positions. However, I would like to bring to the attention of our leaders in the southern Sudan that we are not still in the 1970s or 1980s, but are living in the 21st century. Things have changed. As such the argument that there are no qualified women will not fly any more, because realities are showing the contrary. There are now many qualified southern Sudanese women who can assume such positions. Now there are women medical doctors, scientists, Ph.D. holders, activists and advocates for women’s rights. In addition, southern Sudanese women have become aware of issues affecting women in general. Through their lived experiences whether inside Sudan or outside, women have also become more aware of some of the negative cultural practices, customs and patriarchal ideologies that oppress and discriminate against women in southern Sudan.
Therefore, the appointment of 18 men as under-secretaries to various government ministries and institutions; and in particular the appointment of a man to represent women’s interests is unacceptable and represents a challenge to southern Sudanese women both inside Sudan and in the diaspora which should be taken seriously. Women need to work hard, mobilize and campaign for women’s inclusion in the government and other institutions to challenge male dominance. Southern Sudanese women in the diaspora in particular who have the opportunity to express their views, voices and their concerns freely need to double their efforts to empower themselves and their sisters in the south to insure that women are included in key decision-making positions, and insure that women’s voices are heard, their interests and rights are represented, valued and respected. I also call upon, women’s organizations, human rights groups and advocates as well as the international community to campaign for women’s rights and to pressure the government of southern Sudan to live up to its promise of inclusiveness, and respect for women’s rights and human rights.
* Dr. Jane Kani Edward is a Sudanese Canadian. She is currently an External Associate at the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University, Toronto, Canada. She is the author of “South Sudanese Refugee Women: Questioning the Past, Imagining the Future,” pp. 272-289, In Women’s Rights and Human Rights: International Historical Perspectives, edited by Patricia Grimshaw, Katie Holmes and Marilyn Lake, London: Palgrave, 2001, and “The Consequences of Sudan’s Civil Wars on the Civilian Population,” In African Civilians, edited by John Laband (forthcoming). Email: [email protected]