Sudanese Government Says Keen to End Violence against Women

Sudanese women protest in Khartoum on 8 April 2021 (ST photo)

April 18, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese government reiterated its keenness to address violence against women across the country.

Sudan’s Social Affairs Ministry and the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) launched on Sunday a workshop to review the government’s strategy to end violence against women in Sudan.

Speaking at the opening session Social Affairs Minister Ahmed Adam Bakhit stressed that the issue of violence against women is one of his government top priorities.

"Women are change-makers in Sudan," said the former rebel who joined the transitional government after the signing of the Juba peace agreement.

“The workshop is in line with our new approach to focus on the states,” noting that the regional authorities bear the greatest burden in implementing the ministry’s policies in this respect.

Th directors of units for combating violence against women in the country’s 18 states are participating in the 5-day workshop.

The participants discuss challenges facing the strategy to end violence against women in Sudan, review legal, societal and political framework’s references to the strategy, and develop an action plan for its monitoring and evaluation.

They will further mull over a draft law on combating violence against women in Sudan.

For her part, Salima Sharif, Director of the Violence Against Women Unit, said that the purpose of the workshop is to conduct national consultations to come up with a roadmap to combat violence against women.

Sharif stressed that there is a “bold” political will to eliminate violence against women in Sudan.

Women groups in Sudan organized several demonstrations to protest the slow pace of the reforms to end gender discriminations in the personal statutes established by the former Islamist regime and to empower their political representations.

They also denounce the government for neglecting its pledge to sign regional and international human rights instruments to ensure women rights including Maputo Protocol and CEDAW.

(ST)