By Yiep Joseph
Members of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), alongside various stakeholders, recently convened for a two-day validation workshop focused on enhancing gender equality within the military.
Facilitated by the national non-profit organization Hope Africa South Sudan (HASS), the workshop aimed to examine assessment findings on gender biases and formulate concrete policy recommendations.
The initiative seeks to address systemic biases that impede the progress and equal participation of women and girls within the organized forces.
Bringing together men and women in uniform, the workshop provided a platform for frank discussion on the challenges faced.
Maj-Gen Awour Awer Malual, Commander of Nyanchigak Military Academy, described the workshop as an “eye-opener” regarding the needs and requirements of women, both in uniform and generally.
“The workshop is truly wonderful; it is educative and has achieved a lot,” Gen. Malual stated. “It has educated us because our women, or females in organized forces, are often disadvantaged. Most complain that their affairs are not well considered.”
Gen. Malual elaborated on specific complaints from women in uniform, including issues with promotion and the suitability of standard uniforms designed primarily for men.
“Some of them have not been promoted for so long; a few have stayed in one rank for a number of years, maybe 10 to 20 years, and that is quite a disadvantage,” he stressed. He also highlighted inadequate maternity leave.
“They don’t get fair maternity leave; they are either given 45 days, which is not even enough. Maternity leave should also include males because both the father and the mother should be involved in that period,” he explained.
Col. Harriet Fozia Jinaba, who works at an ART center and is the Executive Director for the South Sudan Women Security Sector Network, emphasized, “iwant to say that the issue of maternity leave should also be given to our men, because they should go together [with the mother] and assist the women.”
Col. Jinaba also stressed the need for post-maternity support: “Another issue is, after maternity leave, we need childcare facilities in all security sectors so that when the child is two months old and the mother resumes work, the child will be in a safe place, and she can continue doing her work effectively.”
In a related effort within the broader security sector, Brig-Gen James Dak Karlo, the Director of the Special Protection Unit and Child Affairs in the national police, indicated that his administration is working to ensure the presence of female investigators.
“Our main target is to train and empower female officers for investigation,” Gen. Karlo said. “Because the international norm says the investigation against any [gender-specific] vices should be conducted by a female. An issue concerning a male is to be investigated by a male.”
Mr. Chol Samuel, the Head of Programs at Hope Africa South Sudan, explained HASS’s role. “We are basically here for a validation workshop to validate the findings of the research that was conducted by the consultants,” he said.
Mr. Chol mentioned that key findings from the research include discrimination against women in the leadership structures of security sectors.
“There are lots of findings, and a few of them include issues related to women in leadership,” he noted.
“A recommendation stemming from that is to perhaps empower more women and ensure they rise higher in leadership so they can become part of the decision-making body and achieve that equality.”
He added that the overarching aim of the project is to ensure women participate equally in nation-building.
“We understand that women and men are like wings of a bird, and so if one wing is not strengthened enough, the bird won’t be able to fly,” he illustrated.
When asked about the focus on empowering women, Chol explained the societal context.
“We are in a patriarchal society where almost every single law in the country, even traditional ones, seems to be favoring men. And men have much better opportunities than women,” he stated.
He further called on leaders to empower women within their institutions so they can advance into leadership roles and contribute to solving both women’s issues and the broader challenges facing South Sudan.
Mr. Chol added that a final validation session is scheduled shortly, where findings and recommendations will be shared for inspection, final validation, and ultimately, policy action