The religion of Islam is the religion of the majority in Sudan. We believe
that the principles of Islam and other religions and believes practiced
in Sudan are a source of justice and equality whilst preserving the
dignity of all human beings – both women and men. Furthermore,
international conventions and constitutions are all based on equality
between human beings. Based on these shared principles, we believe that
achieving justice and equality in the laws of Islamic communities is
both necessary and conceivable at the same time.
Background:
The Strategic Initiative for women in
the Horn of Africa (SIHA), in Sudan – is operating among other civil
society organizations in the field of human rights. SIHA Network is
concerned with promoting women’s rights within the local communities,
organizing women, empowering them, building their capacities, and
motivating them to partake in public work. This initiative comes as
a contribution from SIHA’s Membership Network hereby formed as a
coalition of women’s CSOs and NGOs with the shared goal of pushing
forward the development of community awareness on the issues of
human rights and women’s rights in light of the democratic transition
that Sudan is currently undergoing. This awareness is envisioned to be
achieved through developing and sharpening women and girls’ mechanisms
to safeguard their rights and create a cohesive and solidarity-based
women rights and feminist movement that expresses the rights of women
and girls without exclusion – through mass protest marches and rallies.
This is expected to form a continuous pressure mechanism for democratic
and civil governance that respects women’s rights.
The
idea of Sudan Women Protest is derived from the developments that have
been witnessed and are still being witnessed in the Sudanese
arena. These developments have inevitably affected, and are still
affecting the status of women in Sudan. In spite of the intensity of
the discourse that prevailed in the early periods
of the revolution around women ‘s political participation
in the Sudanese revolution and the parallel and widespread presence of
women in all revolutionary events and activities – the current political
discourse is still limited in dealing with women’s basic issues such as
development, legal rights, security and peace, and creating economic
budgets that take into consideration providing opportunities for women
in decent livelihood and access to education healthcare services for
them and their families.
What
is aggravating these days is the re-emergence of the extremist
discourse which has contributed to the exclusion, torture and
criminalization of women for decades. This is apparent in the marches of
dark forces and terrorist groups such as those led by Salafi Islamists
proponents of the former regime who called for, and marketed the
suppression of women, and hence the suppression of the society, as a
tool to impose their political domination.
Due
to the absence of a consistent and unified women’s resistance
discourse, the idea of Sudan Women Protest came into existence. In the
short term, the idea aims to create a unified platform for women’s
resistance in the form of marches and demonstrations that embrace women
from different backgrounds. In the long term, Sudan Women Protest will
act as an efficient tool for the mobilization and support of women in
coordination with women ‘s groups from different regions of Sudan and
without exclusion of geographic origin, religion or
political orientation; provided that the advancing of women’s
rights, equality in law, and development opportunities are agreed
upon. It should eventually be emphasized that Sudanese women will not
accept to be attacked under the pretext of religion or customs.
Goals of Sudan Women Protest
1)
Demand for a civilian-led and democratic government that guarantees
freedom of expression for all Sudanese within a coherent legal framework
aligned with international and regional mechanisms which promotes space
for negotiation, access to peace, justice and democracy in Sudan;
2)
Urgent signing and ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of
all Forms of Discrimination against Women – (CEDAW); the revision and
removal of all Sudanese Laws which serve to humiliate women and do not
promote and protect the rights of women as soon as possible; and the
ratification and adoption of the Protocol to the African Charter on
Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo
Protocol); and the implementation of regional and international
conventions nationally through domestication and revision of legal
mechanisms and policies;
3)
Address and put in place strict regulations on militarization, armament
and impunity in Sudan, specifically in the periphery areas of
displacement, which result in systematic violations of women’s and
girls’ rights and are an impediment to their movement, safety and
security;
4) Issue
strict laws and regulations that address the hate discourse that hurt,
humiliate and undermine women in public spaces such as mosques,
religious institutions, educational curricula, the press and the media,
and any hate discourse that incites racial prejudice against any
Sudanese citizen regardless of their gender, ethnic, religion or
cultural background;
The first of the Sudan Women Protest will be on Thursday 30th May 2019 – in Khartoum, Sudan.
