Lakes police harass women and men for their dress and hair
By Manyang Mayom
January 14, 2011 (RUMBEK) – Police in Rumbek, the capital of Lakes state in Southern Sudan beat up women who wearing trousers and young men with long hair on Friday. Lakes state police in forcibly cut the hair of men with long hair and cut women’s trousers while they were still wearing them.
According to the commissioner of Rumbek Central County, Matur Majok Magol intervenes telling local polices to leave market after they had carried out a five hour operation of cutting men’s hair and the trousers of women, disturbing the hundreds of market goers.
Magol told Sudan Tribune that the Lakes state police commissioner had not informed him of the operation, describing the events as a “very big bombshell to me”. He said that he ordered police to leave the market as soon as he discovered what was happening. After the police had left the market he went to see police commissioner Saed Chawul Lom in his office, who denied he had given orders for the police to cut the hair and trousers of people in the market.
The actions of the police have been criticized, especially as they come while the south is conducting a referendum on independence.
Lakes state advisor for Gender and Human Right Affairs, Adak Costa Mapuor, said “injustice to democracy across South Sudan must to be stopped strength away from now as we are beginning the new nation building of Southern Sudan government by respecting all rights of people including our animals as well our environment.”
Costa said: “I need all our law reinforcement agencies from wherever they are to respect the rights of each everyone in South Sudan territory to be value with high respect including our animals and environment – we are in new face of constructing a good nation which will be governed by law and human values”.
A female student, Akol Rilpuou, had arrived to spend some of her holiday in Rumbek and vote in the southern referendum when police surrounded her in the market began to cut at her clothes.
She says she had not been informed of any local order that criminalized wearing trousers and had felt “scared” by the police and regretted coming to Rumbek.
“I thought that this ruling state government was elected [so it] could respect peoples rights because we all have voted this government into power to respect our rights. I need to tell our government that rights of human beings are important,” she told Sudan Tribune.
This is not the first time Lakes state government had acted in such a way. During the term of former governor Daniel Awet Akot, 2006 to 2009, women and young people were often beaten up by military forces loyal to Bol Akot Bol. Women were prohibited from riding bicycles and wearing trousers without reasons being provided.
Youth leaders from various youth organization across Lakes state are campaigning to discourage new customary law which sentence men to ten years imprisonment if the make a girl pregnant outside of marriage.
So far Lakes state lawmakers have overlooked the youth’s demands.
(ST)
Bol Nul Dhieu
Lakes police harrass women and men for their dress and hair
What a stupid act by these inexperienced police personnels! The rights of any individual must be respected across the counties, states and nation as a whole regardless of background, gender and age otherwise, there will be no difference between South Sudan and Islamic state in the north.
The democracy is one of the demands that we had been fighting for fifty years against the Islamists and should not be abused at the time we are free to exercise it. However, The citizens of the nation must enjoy their human rights as long as the acts are not anti-social.
The police is established to protect the citizens, but, not to harrass them.
Anyang
Lakes police harrass women and men for their dress and hair
I think, Lake state’s laws makers as well as laws imposing agent should be warn to slow things down or relax some restriction, because Southern Sudan will not be Islamic state or else they should be prepared for the public outcry if this cultures continues.
Jerie
Lakes police harrass women and men for their dress and hair
Something is broken in Lakes State. We are becoming a joke of the nation with some really unfathomable laws. What’s next?
Joseph
Lakes police harrass women and men for their dress and hair
Dear readers
A-Lake state has no good governances
1- Engineer Chol Tong Mayay he is untrained person who joined SPLM after he completed his school in Moscow.
2- Commissioner of police Mr. saed chawul lom came after [CPA] was signed
3- Speaker of the assembly is a lame man who has no legs. Circulation of blood is too slow ,that is why he signed unwanted customary laws in the state
4- Minister of law enforcement is a true SPLM member but he has too many jobs
A- He is SPLM county secretary –Rumbek East
B- He is especial advisor for Governor
C- He is casher for organized forces in Lake state
D- He is a minister of local government and law enforcement
E- He is especial advisor for security issues, employments and termination of the staffs.
B- Problems will not stop until a true liberator is elect to govern lake state. Useless laws are being enforced on peoples since 2005 upto 2011.Administration or destruction. Shame on you guys eats [Nyamchoma] every day but remember high blood pressure will kick you to heaven.
Thanks go to county commissioners who really sacrificed their lives during straggle
omoni Atari
Lakes police harrass women and men for their dress and hair
Hahahaha,
It is not funny,but it is very shameful to have bushmen mentality people as policemen/women.
Cutting the men hair and ladies’trousers is crime. if that happen in different constutitions like schools ,yes i can agree with it.
Police need to be displine without any delayment.
Sharia law is coming to south too.
GOSS has to be included for further investigation inorder to avoid another unlawful hair ctting and ladies harassement.
This is the act of terrorism.
Lokaku
Lakes police harrass women and men for their dress and hair
What kind of Governor is this who goes to see a Police Commissioner when the Police have obviously misbehaved. It just shows that we have petty mediocres being appointed/elected as Governors. Governor Chol Tong Mayay, the Police Commissioner is your subordinate. You should have ordered him to report to your office immediately after you got the information about the harassment of these young people to explain the conduct of his officers. You must show who is the boss in the State! To the young men and women who have endured this experience, please get a lawyer and sue the Police Commissioner, the Minister in charge of police and the Governor in Lakes State for infringing on your rights etc. This should stop them from engaging in unlawful acts.
hard liner
Lakes police harrass women and men for their dress and hair
Guys,guys,
this is not the first time negative things have been happening here in lakes within a month, what i can say is that the police commissioner is truly incompetent and needs to be sacked from this crusial position, how can people in their own free state being harashed like the southerners in the north? So am asking is there sharia law here in lakes state (Rumbek)?
And this govenor, why cant he use the authority entrusted on him by the people to summond the police commissioner to his office? he is instead playing like a junior staff to the police commissioner by going to his office. To me its like the governor enjoys ridding in the government V8 given to him than staying in the office. Same on the police commissioner and the governor for taking no action against the perpetrator of this injustice on the people of lakes state. time is coming and when the people of lake will say enough is enough by voting the governor out….!
makuei
Lakes police harass women and men for their dress and hair
Lakes State is a society where every body knows everything. It is also a place where every body with a rank wants to make self known by making and executing any decision without reflecting on the repercussions of such deed. Rampant movement of the police and the army in military uniform in public places is the order of the day. I personally call this “backwardness.” When is it gonna change? Heaven knows.