This article was published for the first time on the symposium on Women orgnised by Darb al intifada
Women and Politics in Sudan
Contribution Of The SPLA Women's Bureau:
By Samira Daleel
Contribution Of The SPLA Women's Bureau:
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By Samira Daleel
Deputy Chairwoman, Women's Bureau,
SPLA Office in Cairo and the Middle East.
Dear Symposium Coordinator,
Many thanks to Darb Alintifada Coordinator for the contacts made to allow me to participate in the Women's Symposium. This is a timely occasion that must be permanently cared for.
The Sudanese woman is honest, faithful, and brave. Since ancient times, she took arms and fought side-by-side with Sudanese men. Mihaira bint Aboud and Mendi the daughter of Sultan Agabna led battles against colonial aggression.
Since the early 1940's and the aftermath women from University of Khartoum, The Omdurman secondary and intermediate schools, Al-Ittihad secondary, and some other missionary schools, The Sudanese Women's Union and women from the DUP and the UMMA initiated women's movement in our country. In the SPLA, many women are commanders and some of them sacrificed their dear lives for the cause of democracy and human rights in Sudan. They died while protecting the right of men and children to survive.
Despite all this brilliant record, Sudanese men, in general, and Sudanese parties, in particular, never recognized in a full scale the rights of women. Even when the major political parties have represent women in their leadership, the women are told to speak for the party not for the women. There have never been any influential representation of women in constituencies or parliaments. Ministries for women were rarely and only confined to the 2 ministries of social affairs and health.
The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, was adopted in 1979 to grant equal rights for both men and women in the social life. The Sudanese governments never rectified this significant convention.
We in the SPLA Women's Bureau are not against men. They are our counterparts. But so much is yet to be done by men for the cause of women.
The NIF rule is definitely the worst of all governments that ruled Sudan up to this point. The NIF is the worst violator of women's rights, the ugliest persecutor ever in the history of Sudan for our people. I have personally tried admission for the M.A. program at the University of Khartoum and my application was simply rejected because I am a woman!
Women and children are those most persecuted by the NIF evil regime. The suffering of women from ongoing economic disaster is unprecedented. It certainly is more than what men suffer.
The NDA treatment of women's representation in the leadership council and the other activities is very poor. We, as women, are with the NDA day and night. We participate in all NDA activities, military, social, economic and political. Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim struggled very hard to ensure representation of women in the NDA Leadership Council. As members of the Sudanese Women's Forum in Cairo, and the SPLA Women's Bureau was very strongly supportive of Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim and her patient struggles.
In fact, Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim struggled more than any other Sudanese woman for the cause of women and their rights in the Sudan. I wish all Sudanese women take Fatima as a good example. As one of the new generations, I am very astonished that the NDA did not recognize the high status Fatima occupies when it comes to women's rights or representation !
My advice to the NDA is to provide full opportunity to Sudanese women to participate in decision making. We have not received the recognition we deserve since independence time or even before that. The Sudan will never achieve any progression without a real advancement of women in politics, science and technology, and all aspects of the social life.
We, the women of Sudan, exert a strong pressure in the social side and the family side. Our role in politics and the economy must be equally realized.
Samira Daleel
Deputy Chairwoman, Women's Bureau,
SPLA Office in Cairo and the Middle East.