Online GBV advocacy poster. | Courtesy.

A group of young women is calling on the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to speed up the process of tabling the Anti-GBV bill before the national parliament.

The bill was presented to the ministry in 2020 by a women-led organization in collaboration with the Minister of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, UNFPA, and other organizations.

The women’s rights advocates say since then, no response has been received from the ministry.

According to them, less attention is being given to the bill despite the many GBV cases reported in the country.

The group has started an online campaign calling on the Ministry of Justice and constitutional affairs to prioritize the bill which is focused on legislated women’s rights.

The Ma’Mara Sakit village community of young women is spearheading the campaign carrying the hashtag ‘#WhereIsTheAnti-GBVBill.’

The campaign slogan is being circulated on social media platforms.

Speaking to Eye Radio, Aluel Atem, a member of the Ma’Mara Sakit village, is calling on the Justice Ministry to scrutinize the bill and table it before the assembly.

“There is a lot of legislation that is based on women’s rights that hasn’t been passed. We believe in liberation through legislation,” Aluel said.

“We want to make sure we add our voices to pushing some of this legislation, especially the Anti-GBV Bill that has been at the Ministry of Justice since 2020, so we need to initiate a conversation on that.”

The advocate believes that the government is prioritizing other bills over the Anti-GBV legislation because it is about women’s issues.

“Why is the bill not moving forward? If they have a lot on their plate, that should be a priority looking at the number of GBV cases women experience every day.”

“I’m sure they are aware. It probably has more to do with priorities that certain things are seen as priorities compared to others. Maybe it’s not a priority on things they need to work on.”

“As we know, in South Sudan, anything to do with women always comes second or last it’s never tops agenda. So, it’s not surprising that the bill would take that long. If they feel like they have more important things to get to. I’m guessing that could be the reason.”

The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Reuben Madol Arol was not immediately reachable for comment.

In South Sudan, about 65 percent of women have experienced some form of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) such as child marriage and rape in their lifetime, according to UNDP.

The UN agency adds that the country still faces problems with access to justice for the victims with an increasing number of backlogged cases because of limitations in judicial and legal aid.

This reportedly leads to lengthy periods of pre-trial detention, delayed justice, and a culture of impunity.