Participants at the workshop on safeguarding women's rights. (Photo: Michael Daniel)

The Chairperson of Women Advocacy Association of South Sudan is reiterating calls on the national government to speed up enactment of Family Law to protect women’s rights.

In 2020, a women-led organization in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Child Social Welfare, UNFPA and other organizations presented the Anti GBV bill to the Ministry of Justice.

But since then, there has been no tangible progress in passing the bills.

Suhila Deng said once comes into force, the laws will hold to account judges passing shorter than the required imprisonment terms for perpetrators of rape and defilement.

Ms. Deng attributes what she terms as unending cases of sexual violence against minor to rapists not being punished accordingly.

“Punishment for rape is 14 years. When someone rapes a girl, he will be sent to prison for 14 years and 14 years is not enough,” she said in an interview with Eye Radio.

“That’s why we want it to be amended during the Family Law enactment. Unfortunately, you find that sometimes there are judges who pass verdict for only 7 years and others 2 years.”

“Someone can just rape and spend only two years and then come out of prison. That’s why cases of rape are not ending in the society, children such as 10 or 9 years are being raped.”

Mrs. Deng also argues that speedy enactment of the family laws will protect the rights women in marriage including the right to own property.

“My message to the government is to speed up these laws that protect women’s rights. These include family law, issues of inheritance, marriages and divorce.”

“If you notice here in South Sudan, most of the conflicts are related to land. You will find that in some cultures, women and girls cannot inherit properties – only men and boys. So, these are some of the problems we are facing.”

In October 2023, a workshop on safeguarding women rights called for enactment of Family Law and the Anti-Gender-Based Violence Bill to counter harmful customary laws.