The question that remains vague is how long it will take to accomplish this new phase of struggle. Women have promised not to watch men deny them their rights, but to push harder for equality.

Women rights activists say women played an indelible role in the liberation struggle, so there is no base for forgetting them in peace. Their advances will soon put the African belief of male egoism to an end. Armed with constitutional provisions and human rights, they gear with all sorts of support they need to install women as a powerful aspect of the society in South Sudan.

Speaking during the celebration of the International Women’s Day in Juba, the Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS), Dr. Riek Machar Teny, said his Government is working hard to promote women in aspects of governance and national development. He asserted that Southern Sudan is recognized among the top ten countries in Africa with the highest number of women representatives in the Parliament. He reiterated Dr. John Garang’s quote that “Women in Sudan are the marginalized of the marginalized.”

In many countries in the world, women representation in government is as high as 60 percent. Although it has not reached that extent, South Sudan is involved in the fight. A 25-percent affirmative action plan for women representation at all levels of government is widely accepted throughout the region. This proportional representation has become a formula of nomination and appointment in all fields, such as community meetings and associations. In practice, the percentage is quite higher, about 33 percent.

On the same occasion, Agnes Kwaje Lasuba, the GOSS Minister for Gender, Social Welfare and Religious Affairs, stated that in Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly, 53 0ut of 171 are female; and 7 female Ministers out of 32; let alone women serving as undersecretaries and as heads of Commissions and different capacities in various government levels.

However, women on the other hand seem not to be convinced; they need more. Based on this fact, you need to think twice if you thought there is a limit on women emancipation campaigns in Southern Sudan.

Today, many concerns are coming up for women to be involved in the Constitutional Review Committee, formed by President Kiir to review the Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan for adoption as a national Constitution following the landslide vote for independence in the January 2011 Referendum. As well, motions in the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly (SSLA) have been proposed with the view to securing the position of Deputy Speaker to the Assembly for a woman.

Lobbyists are struggling for ultimate inclusion of this proposal into the Constitution. If so, that would be great. GOSS thinks it can achieve some credibility by forming an inclusive government that is bias free, where there is representation of both genders, all races and ethnicities, religions, just to mention a few of social and political diversities. We hope that this same tenet will continuously be followed by succeeding generations of leadership to come. 

Despite this massive support for women emancipation, there is still need to widen this emerging political trend. The rural women have less to benefit because women rights have only been looked at the angle of representation in government. Only a handful of women are involved in running government affairs and, in effect, this representation gives less implication of a free woman in Southern Sudan. In other words, women freedom in this context is for the employed class and has nothing to do with the vast majority of women who reside in the countryside. Women at the grassroots are suffering from many vices.

Elimination of Gender Based Violence (GBV), maternity and child health problems, early marriage, and girl-child illiteracy are central in women rights emancipation and can be received with more ecstasy than women representation in the constitutional review, a subtle aspect of right.  

One main challenge that stands tough for women to overcome is land ownership. It is unacceptable for women to own land in traditional Africa, but this is not the case in modern world. Conservatives say women are property and thus cannot own land, another property.

So, women in Sudan, let alone Southern Sudan only, have tough times claiming their right to own and inherit property. They find themselves at the margins of human freedoms, simply because of their incapability to deal with men. This relationship cuts across all age groups in the society—from boys and girls to men and women.