Rukaya Mohammed, Deputy Country Representative of UN Women. (-)

The Deputy Country Representative of UN Women said the empowerment of women and girls in South Sudan must not be nurtured in a way that leaves behind their male counterparts if the country is to attain social progress.

Rukaya Mohammed said ignoring one group while focusing on the other can create imbalances and even more tensions.

The UN official said a comprehensive approach that includes both men and women in the conversation about rights and equality is essential for lasting social change.

“If you continue to empower women and girls leaving boys behind, it is going to be a big challenge in future. Again, we have to create another organization to advance the empowerment of men and boys,” said Ms. Mohammed, during a media engagement on women empowerment in Juba on Wednesday.

“So, we want to work alongside them because if you empower her to know her rights, you don’t also empower the man to know that these are her rights when she goes back.”

“Let them understand even if we are supporting a woman in the community and when she benefits, then the entire household also benefits so that the men understand, because sometimes the way we do our intervention creates tension in the houses.”

The UN official also emphasized on promoting cultural practices and traditions that maintain social cohesion and identity.

She further urged the country to discourage discriminatory social norms and cultural traditions that hinder the progress of women’s rights and equality

“The issue of social norms that is the biggest hindrance to the advancements of gender equality is our culture our tradition as much as they are very important. Let’s unpack it.”

“What are the good ones which ones waiting they progress our effort in terms of advancing gender equality, and which ones are discriminatory? We have to identify those so that we promote the good ones and eliminate the bad ones.”

“Well because maybe Dowry has been paid and she cannot even Escape because she has to pay back. I mean this culture is everywhere, but then how can we moderate it? How can we identify the good ones and promote them?”

In May 2024, the Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare, in collaboration with humanitarian partners and the public drafted South Sudan Women’s Charter.

This outlines the fundamental priorities and demands of women and girls for the Permanent Constitution, and to ensure that their rights and well-being are embedded in the nation’s foundational legal framework.

This includes political participation, education, marriage, property ownership and inheritance, health and reproductive rights, and economic.

Others are social welfare rights, equality and freedom from discrimination, protection of the elderly and women with disabilities, protection against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and access to justice.