South Sudan urged to give priority to women’s rights, gender equality

June 12, 2006 (NAIROBI) — Activists are urging the Government of Southern Sudan to take issues of women’s rights and gender equality as a priority in its search for peace.

The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) regional programme director, Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, says that the government should enact laws that protect the rights of women and children, the Sudan Radio Service reported.

While addressing a press conference in a Nairobi hotel last Thursday, Gumbonzvanda also called upon the media to air the voices of Sudanese women and issues affecting them in the families and communities.

“We have been walking the journey together with the Sudanese people, with the Sudanese women, the journey for peace, the journey for bringing sanity to the household, and the journey to bring a future to the children of southern Sudan”, Gumbonzvanda said.

She also urged the Government of Southern Sudan to empower women economically by allocating resources to them.

(ST/SRS)