South Sudanese Women Struggle to Make Their Voices Heard

   •    November 8, 2011

This article was originally published by PBS.

Last May, a group of about 60 women, some in colorful African dress, others in modest Islamic garb, a few in Western-style suits, met in Juba, soon to be the capital of the new nation of South Sudan, to discuss their country’s constitution.

Over a period of three days, the women — including members of parliament, local governments, and grassroots leaders — combed through a 94-page draft, making notes in the margin and shouting out suggestions.

“When we actually went through the constitution, line by line, article by article, women had something to say about almost everything,” said Farah Council of the Institute for Inclusive Security, an American NGO that works to increase women’s participation in formal peace processes around the world and helped organize the Juba workshop.

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