Justice Africa Sudan
Sudan Marginalised Women Groups
Symposium Under the Theme ‘ Engendering the Peace Process & The Interim Government Programme’
30 October 2019
Justice Africa Sudan(JAS) in collaboration with Sudan Marginalised Women Group(SMWG) organised a one day symposium on 30 October 2019 under the Theme of Engendering the Transitional Period Programme and Engendering the Peace Process, the symposium aimed to address gender issues beyond the representation in structure of the interim government , and to ensure the interim programme take in account issues related to women in its policies, the main focus was on issues of concerns to women in marginalised areas of Sudan and conflicts zones . It looked at what constraints do Sudanese marginalised women face in trying to organise and ensure their interests served, what strategies can marginalise women follow in order to become more fully effectively engaged in the peace process and mobilisation for their rights, and examined the major social, political and economic challenges facing women. The symposium concluded that its only through effective mobilisation of women organisations in the grass-root level, and only through developing capacity to influence the process of peace, democracy and the development of local civil society that will be possible for women to mobilise and peruse their rights.
“The need for strong local Women’s NGOs is a Prerequisite for addressing gender gap in marginalised areas of Sudan”
Marginalised Women and Wars
It is commonplace for women to be described as ‘natural ‘’ peacemakers in Sudan and elsewhere in Africa. Actually, women engagement in peace and democracy is been marginalised in addition to that the women in the marginalised areas are the marginalised of the marginalised and that has double impact on their lives and livelihood.
Women Suffering During Wars
Marginalised Sudanese women in conflicts zones have suffered from many elements include the following:
- Vulnerability to Exploitation
Poor women and their children are vulnerable to exploitation in time of wars, work as cheap labour at below market rate, Young women may have no option but to become commercial sex workers, they are also subjected for rape and abduction by militias and soldiers.
- Greater Economic Burden
The do domestic work plus farming in rural areas, in Darfur, Blue Nile, the Nuba mountains wars usually entails even greater workload.
- Hunger and Disease. Women
Suffered from ill- health and health services collapse, and health become expensive commodity for those whom car afford it, their children suffered from malnutrition.
- lack of Education.
Girls in marginalised areas are the first to suffer when schools close and families face an economic crisis, cultural values mean that girls schools are less valued than boys.
- Vulnerability to Sexual Abuse.
women in conflicts areas are extremely vulnerable to rape and sexual violence, as it become one of the weapons used by militias. That might subject them of some sort of infectious diseases just like HIV/AIDS
- Enforced Support to the Warring Parties.
Women are vulnerable to being coerced into supplying support to armies, their food may be looted, they may themselves be forced to cook and provide other domestic services.
“the government macro-economic policies must be engendered to must the goal of gender equality”
Engendering the Peace Process
Engendering the peace process initiatives mainly supported by external actors first was the Netherlands Government programme in 2000, , the first high profile gathering of Sudanese women activists, followed by other initiatives , but the process of engendering the peace process must move to the ground to involving women directly affected by conflicts to enable women voice to be heard both nationally and internationally , however we must also ask how this initiative can be sustained and can feed into the women’s movement in Sudan in a sustainable manner.
Women and Human Rights m the Issues are:
1.Personal Law and Customs
The current family law in force in Sudan was based upon interpretation of Islamic Sharia, this law contains many elements that are contrary to basic human rights. Regressive elements in this law include:
Approval of the Guardian is required for marriage
- Sudanese woman cannot marry without her guardian’s consent.
- Divorce is the sole rights of the husband for which he can exercise for any or no reason without the wife having a right of appeal, a woman has no comparable rights unless it was clearly mentioned in the marriage contract.
- Custodian with male resides with the mother until the age of seven and for female children until the age of nine.
- Obedience: A wife is required to obey her husband, provided solely that his orders do not contradict Islam.
- Childe Act 2010 prohibit the marriage:
Of underage girls but in some communities in marginalised areas of Sudan child marriage still common practice not means of enforcing that as that part of the traditions in some communities.
3.Political Rights:
Sudanese women gained many rights after long struggle the 2005 comprehensive Peace Agreement guaranteed 25% representation on the legislative councils, but that wasn’t reflected in others structures of the government and government policies and programmes. At the same their roles in shaping political parties’ programmes still very weak.
4.Economic Rights:
the adverse economic position of women in Sudan is the foundation of their poor political and social status. In Sudan marginalised areas women play major role in family economy, they are the backbone of family food security and also undertake greater part in the essential work in household economy include collecting water and firewood, preparing food, cleaning and child care.
- Women’s Health Rights:
Heath service is one of the basic needs in every society .It is essential for the progress of any country and for its development , the decline of Sudan’s heath service due to the lack of investment in heath budget due to the deterioration of economy has had disproportionate impact on women and children, any government with right concern of women will make it a priority. In post conflicts women need rehabilitation to over come the impact of conflicts and include physical and sociological
6.Female Circumcision (FGM)
still common practices, with its health risk.
7.Militarisation of the Society
The military culture and proliferation of arms become the norm in many of Sudan marginalised regions, women and children are the prime target of guns violence, sexual assault by militias and elements security forces.
Mobilising Marginalised Women – Constrains
Sudanese women in marginalised and conflicts areas face many constrains when trying to mobilise for peace, human rights and democratic rights.
- Weakness of independent civil society movements in marginalised areas and among female activist for these areas in others parts Sudan or in diaspora.
- The new forms of civil society organisation in marginalised areas weak due to lack of understanding of how it operates, as most of the resources deployed to address issues of genders equality have been channelled through civil society in the central Sudan mainly the capital Khartoum, the presence and representation only symbolic as the problems and concerns are difference and more complicate , there are needs to invest in building local women civil society through training of local activists .
- Absence of Women or Sympathetic individuals in Governments of political parties who can to assist women mobilisations, due to cultural and religious constrains.
- Socio-culture traditions in most the rural and marginalised areas of Sudan give little freedom to women, and that curtail implementation of laws and norms which been accepted by the government and imbodied in Sudan statutory books, such as forcing them to marry without their consent or marrying under age girl in clear breach to the Child Act 2010.
Sudan Marginalised Women’ Mobilisation Possible
The basic question for Sudan marginalised women activists and women movement in general do we seek to build a movement dedicated to marginalised women rights? or do we seek to achieve women’s right through existing political and civil organisations? the answer is clear both needed, political parties and armed movement must open their structure and policies making bodies to more women and to all the plans and policies include gender elements and women in the key leadership posts.
Sudanese women in general and Sudanese marginalised women, needs to be all of the following, adversarial, educational and programmatic:
Adversarial approach entails researching and documenting abused and hardships suffered by women and lobbying for changes.It entails confronting the political power in Sudan and the international community on issues concerning women in Sudan marginalised areas seeking to enact change.
Sudan Marginalised women need Education of many sort Many women need literacy which is the foundation for and form of civil political engagement, the majority need education about their rights and the possibilities of organising to achieve that.
Constructive Engagement with programmes and policies is necessary for real change. It can involve actually setting up and running practical programmes, delivering assistance such as education and health or legal advice, it can also involve helping plan policies for the future.
Mass Mobilisation of Marginalised Women
The main of which progressive social change has been brought about has been when large numbers of people have been physically mobilised. Large scale demonstrations, political and voting in elections has been major factor that government cannot ignore.
Steps short of mass mobilisation are possible, for example members organisations can be established m they may also focus on service delivery and community problem and that will help them mobilised many members and engagement them in public issues.
Also combining of service delivery with advocacy and public awareness also attractive women and making them more interesting in public issues (Justice Africa Sudan Small income generating activities in El Rahad North Kordofan for IDPs women) is best example.
Setting Up Specialised NGOs
Establishing specialised Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) focusing on marginalised areas and specially addressing issuing of gender can be one of the ways to addressing women issues. It is easily to set such organisations and they can also attract donor organisations and deliver noticeable benefit to women. And also provide focus of leadership and a foundation for future coalitions whoever they are several dangers can be identified:
Donorism the moment any NGO become involved in receiving donor funding it is in danger of seeing its agenda and working methods dictated by external interests. the requirement of raising money form donors also means that such organisation may end speaking the language of the donor rather than the language or their constituents. Its beneficial for all parties of agree on how to address certain problems considering the local context as that more cost effective and bring value for money.
Focus on Relief and service delivery rather than advocacy the previous government used to concentrate on encouraging service delivery and banning NGOs engage in advocacy and public awareness and that led to aids dependency,
Opportunism once the organisation becomes independent of the grassroot constituency, it can run risk of being hijacked by the political opportunists or someone simply interesting in building an institution and securing wealth, and influence. For some activists’ human rights and gender issues NGOs work appears to be first and foremost an opportunity to travel abroad.
Competition: civic activism space for issues related to women in Sudan is very wide and needs many organisations focusing in different issues, but some women groups aligned with political parties and that fragmented, and in competition, recently the focus is on representation in government structure more that ensuring issues related to women are at the heart of government policies include its macroeconomic plans and legislative programmes . women in conflicts and marginalised areas have different agenda which not addressed as its differ from urban areas.
Conclusion
The main argument of the workshop is that its premature to talk about real and effective women movement in Sudan marginalised areas without addressing the constrain which derailing the progress of women movement. the position of women in Sudan is really serious and specially conflicts and marginalised areas, they needed to be liberated from all the constrain legally, socially and tradition. A list must be drawn with the necessary reform ranging from changes in the laws to provisions of social changes.
One conclusions that it is only in the context of peace democracy and development of civil society that will be possible for women to mobilised and pursue their rights.
