Western Equatoria marks Women’s International Day
By Richard Ruati
March 9, 2009 (YAMBIO) – Western Equatoria State marked International Women’s Day yesterday with a plea for the state to remember the areas where women do not enjoy even basic human rights.
Groups around the world are celebrating the 34th International Women’s Day, including the Women’s League of SPLM in the state, who called for a greater role for women in the state’s political landscape. Grace Apollo, the SPLM Women League Chairperson said, “The main point is that we want women involved in politics and decision making.”
The minister for Social Development, Mrs. Grace Datiro thanked late Dr Garang for the “enactment of Women’s participation in governance.” She called on the parents to double efforts to register more children specially girls to attend to school.
Titilola Oyejola, Head of UN Resident Coordinator Support Office (UNRCSO) in Yambio delivered a keynote message on behalf of United Nations. She told the cheerful women groups that, “the UNRCSP is happy to join the millions of women all over the world to re-echo the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day which is “women and men are united to end violence against women and girls.”
Oyejola said that, “Women in WES are particularly privileged to have an achiever and a very dynamic woman as Governor.” She requested the women to give a resounding round of applause to Jemma Nunu Kumba, Governor of WES.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said this week “one woman in five around the globe has been a victim of rape or attempted rape, and that in some countries one woman in three has been beaten or subjected to some kind of violent act.”
Mrs. Jemma Nunu Kumba, Governor of Western Equatoria State, who was the Guest of Honor, told the attendees that, “it is time to review the contribution of women to humanity and communities,” she added that, “the CPA has brought freedom to women and other marginalized groups, late Dr. Garang said – “women are the marginalized of the marginalized”, most women in the region today are out of kitchen, women occupy office spaces equally with their opposite sex and WES is a role model for other states in southern Sudan.”
The Governor hailed the policy of gender and women empowerment as the right strategy to stop violence against women and right to formal education. The governor vowed to support women and urged GOSS to provide private sector initiative that will consider the plights of the marginalized women in WES.
The governor called for the unity of not only of women and men but also of all the communities in the stats. She vigorously condemned the “wrong elements in the state who want to destroy the legacy of the state , peaceful co-existence of the peace loving communities of WES, as small group claim to be representative of the entire Greater Mundri communities.”
“They want to spoil [our] communities, promote public disorder, instigating tribe against one another,” she warned. She also pointed out that, “such people are against SPLM and government policies,” and she reminded the Mundri communities that, “I am still your governor.”
She finally expressed her unwavering commitment to empower women, to sponsor 20 girls, two from each county of WES, using the funds being saved downsizing redundant positions and ghost names in the payrolls.
In related event, women groups of Catholic Church in WES had crowned Jemma Nunu Kumba as the queen of women groups in the state. The Catholic Church organized prayers in the eve of the women’s day to pray to God for more rights of women.
Women rallied worldwide to demand equal rights and protest against domestic violence and growing poverty in the global economic crisis as they marked International Women’s Day.
Thousands gathered in public squares from Mvolo to Nagero to the villages of WES, drawing attention to discrimination and fears facing women in their respective areas.
For many, deteriorating financial security in the face of poor economic news the world over has made life more precarious for women workers.
The UN assembly recognized International Women’s Day on March 8, 1975. Historically, International Women’s Day goes back to 1908, when 15,000 women took the streets of New York City demanding shorter work hours, better pay, and voting rights.
(ST)