Viewpoint

17 Mar 2013

Viewpoint

More Must Be Done for Darfur’s Women

As we commemorate International Women’s Day, we do so with the understanding that women’s engagement in the peace process, while more than in recent years, has a long way to go.

 

By Yegerawork Angagaw

 

The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day, a global event that is celebrated annually on 8 March, is “A Promise Is a Promise: Time for Action to End Violence Against Women.” In Darfur, while much progress has been made to advance the agenda of women’s rights and ending violence against women, much more needs to be done.

 

Since the inception of UNAMID, the Gender Advisory Unit (GAU) has worked in several key areas: peace and the political process; governance, rule of law and human rights; sexual and gender-based violence; and recovery and community dialogue. In each of these areas, GAU has reached out to different groups—including government personnel, community leaders, internally displaced people, civil society organizations, young people and nomads—to develop policies and help implement programs designed to improve the lives of Darfuri women.

 

Examples of measurable progress include establishing Sudanese Committees in all five Darfur states for implementing Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security; the creation of a women’s protection network consisting of women from more than 100 camps for internally displaced people; and building a youth network at Darfur universities. In addition, GAU has helped strengthen partnerships with several state institutions and community groups to support them as they work to build crucial mechanisms to respond to the special protection needs of women.

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Read the full story in the March issue of Voices of Darfur. Download the magazine (PDF) here.