Activists Data Gordon and Anna Joggo speak on Eye Radio's Dawn Show. May 7, 2025. (Photo: Awan Moses).

JUBA, (Eye Radio) – While women in South Sudan face challenges in receiving inheritance from their parents although the constitution states that they have such rights, gender rights activists are now urging parents to distribute their resources and inheritance equally between their sons and daughters.

Article 15 of the Constitution mandates that “the State shall ensure women are protected from injustice, promote gender equality, and encourage the role of women in both family and public life,” particularly where personal, religious, and customary laws apply.

South Sudanese activists are calling for an end to the prevailing belief that only sons should inherit family resources.

Data Gordon, Executive Director of the Men for Women organization, said that when parents draft their wills, they should ensure the inheritance is equally distributed between male and female children.

“Society has long dictated that men are the ones who should manage resources, but there are women who have been educated and manage families very effectively,” he said, speaking on Eye Radio’s Dawn Show on Wednesday.

“Once we prioritize the education of girls, and stop viewing resource management and problem-solving through the lens of gender, we will see a change. You must distribute your resources equally to both your sons and your daughters. You never know—your daughter might be far better at managing your resources than your son.”

Anna Joggo, the Gender-Based Violence officer at the Women for Justice and Equality organization, also weighed in, highlighting the importance of equal educational opportunities for both genders.

“Education plays a crucial role in equipping girls with the skills and knowledge they need to shape their futures. When you invest in girls, you invest in a nation. If you give them responsibilities, they will rise to the occasion, especially when it comes to managing resources and inheritance.”

“Girls should be treated as equals to boys. There is no difference between a girl and a boy—both deserve quality education and equal treatment.”

In July 2024, the Women Advocates Association revealed that traditional and religious practices continue to impede women’s inheritance rights in South Sudan.

Its chairperson Sohalia Deng pointed out that these customs do not recognize women’s inheritance rights.

She highlighted that in some South Sudanese cultures, women do not receive a share of the dowry upon marriage and called for a comprehensive family law approved by the Ministry of Social Welfare.

In 2020, South Sudanese women’s rights advocate Justice Ajonye Perpetua expressed her frustration over the continued “marginalization of women” regarding property inheritance.

Ajonye, also a constitutional lawyer, stated that women are often denied access to their loved ones’ properties due to unjustifiable traditions and customs, particularly those influenced by customary laws.