Empower South Sudan Women–Through Education
By Philip Thon Aleu, Juba, South Sudan
November 23, 2015 (SSB) — There are many women’s activist groups in Juba and hundreds nationwide championing women’s and girls’ rights. Their objectives include, but not limited to girl child education but there seems to be little impact if any at all.
In South Sudanese communities, girls and women play central roles. In most of our traditional settings, women take care of children from birth to adulthood. And I should say mothers continue to shape our characters till death part us. This is because many communities practice polygamy and men have little control over individual children. Every woman therefore grooms her children. The stress that comes with many wives overstretches man’s ability to influence his children. Even in monogamous communities, women also play central roles in uprising children as men search for food, defense the territory and take public services.
Surprisingly women get little recognition for these tremendous contributions. In my Dinka Bor culture, father chooses the best cows, oxen and bull from his daughter’s marriage dowry. Mother, on the other hand, is just given five cattle – two cows, two calves and ‘alook-thok’ (usually a heifer). She doesn’t select a cow of her choice.
Apart from rising children, most South Sudanese women are also responsible for building huts in the villages as men play cards, dominos and chat under shadows provided by trees. The same woman would be expected to tilt the land for crops and prepare family meals twice a day. She is also expected to fetch firewood, water and cut grass for the family. This explains why most South Sudanese women in the villages are skinny and rough. The few well-built bodied women are just lucky to be in towns or abroad where their rights are more protected.
GENDER BASED VIOLENCE
I can’t empathize the constant beating of women for any quarrel at homes by men – though sometimes caused by women’s naggings. These days, it is called gender-based violence and there are several non-governmental organizations claiming to challenge that abuse.
With the numerous women activists’ groups, one would expect a change. There are governments at national and states’ ministries tasked to address children, girls and women issues but there is no improvement. Girls are impregnated by teachers, schoolboys and other members of the community with impunity.
So the best option, in my opinion, is to ensure that all children go to school.
EDUCATED MEN MARRYING YOUNG GIRLS
Instead of advocating for someone’s right, it is better for an individual to advocate for her right and be supported by the activists. With education, early marriages would cease. This has not been addressed by men’s education because the graduates return to South Sudan and marry our sisters from primary or secondary schools – most of them under adolescence pressure. Those few girls at the higher institutions of learning are even finding it difficult to get partners. This is so distributing for a society that aim to prosper, develop and live in peace.
It is also injustice for us, the young fathers, to discriminate our children based on gender. I won’t be a good father, a good community leader or an aspiring national leader if I discriminate my 20-month old daughter and prefer her brothers for an education opportunity. This would be injustice and I think my daughter will not forgive me.
Let us unite against all factors that prevent girls from remaining in schools for a prosperous, peaceful and productive South Sudan. South Sudanese can only be one people, one nation when we have equal opportunities. Women should not succumb to the 25% as a good gesture from men because this country belongs to all of us – men and women. We must compete fairly and freely.
Philip Thon Aleu is a journalist and be reached at pthonaleu@gmail.com
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