Radio Miraya
2684: Crime Watch: Role of Women in Community Violence/Cattle Raiding in South Sudan
Welcome and you're listening to the Crime Watch program like you heard from the trailer. The program will be happening every Monday and I have my guests in the studio. What that means is you'll have a chance to call us and ask any question today about our topic. And today we are speaking about the role of women in community violence, cattle, raiding in South Sudan. Well, today I'm joined in by Abubakar, Musiho, Florence Danyel and also Angela Mulwal. And I have Philba Lukar with me in the studio. Good morning and welcome to the program, I guess. - Thank you. - Good morning. - Thank you. - Right. So I'll start right away because we're speaking about the role of women in community, violence, cattle, raiding in the country. Yes, and I'll pose my question to Abubakar. What is the legal framework on women? Yeah, thank you very much, our host, our dear listeners out there, good morning to all of us. Allow me briefly say that women are the mothers and the backbone of every community. With a woman, you can be sure of the next generation. Looking at the bibirico perspective, when God created man, the first man who is Adam, there was a need for a companion and so he was created. To talk about the legal framework about women, I wanted to take us to resolution in 1925 of the UN Security Council of Tucson, which is the first legal document to impose that every fighting group or community in conflict should have respect for women, their rights, and also their participation in community processes which may include peace, dialogue, and the rest. Right. We see that many things have changed because of these legal frameworks. But in addition, the Beijing platform commission commits women and armed conflicts, its objectives, advancing women's rights and gender equality worldwide, as agreed upon in 1995. The conversion on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, that is said now, is an internationally legal instrument that requires countries to eliminate discrimination against women and girls in all areas and promotes women and the girls' equal rights, back home here in South Sudan. Our national laws, as you may look in part two of the biroirights, provides that women and their rights must be treated just the same way as the rights of men. If it is in terms of employment, they should be employed. In terms of peace negotiation, they should be part and any other community initiative. Today, as we are in the studio here, we have women. You are a self, you are a woman. I have two colleagues, women from many peers and the anthrop, and this is really interesting on my side. I want to conclude by saying that in the continuation to the biroirights under the laws of South Sudan, that is in part two on subsection 16, women shall be accorded full and equal rights and full and equal dignity of the person with men. We are supposed to be the same people, same opportunities, same rights and the rest. I want now to relate these two Qatarades. We have always had Qatarades, but there is no community without women. Even when we have hadas, we have those who come to raid, and the fact that women move from one place to another in the way of getting married, they connect communities. If somebody is from Piamx, and it goes to another Piam, it means those two Piams should be seen working together, because they have relatives across. I want to conclude and say that a lot has been done so far. We simply need to respect and involve women in addressing key, security issues, the community level. Thank you. Well, thank you so much, Appa, back here for that. But just a follow-up, regarding the laws that you just cited, well in South Sudan, we, South Sudan provide for the protection of women and girls against discrimination, like you said, against forced marriages and gender-based violence. But in as much as these legal provisions are important, they are often misinterpreted or ignored. Why is that the case? And I also want to hear from Angela, since he is, he solves with the local police, but fast with you. Yeah, thank you very much. I expected that question. The issue of misinterpreting cannot be stopped. Even what is very clear, the nature of human beings, we always change one or two words to look different. I would say that our duty is to keep reminding, remind, remind and remind, so that people at some point stop misinterpreting, because they are those who come in with different perceptions. So as leaders at various levels, we should remind them to understand our laws and then the rest shall be well. Right, thank you. Now coming to you, Lieutenant Angela, why are these provisions not taken seriously or ignored in our communities? Thank you. I'll ask you to come closer to your mic, please. Thank you. To your microphone. Thank you for your opportunity. And thank you to all our dear listeners across the South Sudan. In actual exams, this law, I know they are, I know it's so effective simply because most of our community leaders, I live with, and this law, I know it communicated properly to the community. Right. So, and it's all our roles for us to disseminate this role to each and everyone so that they can understand our roles. So, this is what we need to do. All right. Well, since we're speaking about cattle raiding in South Sudan, and of course this definitely includes cattle, so I would like to understand, Lieutenant Angela, what is the community perception of cattle? Well, a further lease, community actually, for a sieve, a cattle has a mobile bank account for their family. And it's also when they have a bigger number, they have to influence the community. So, because the most, do you have more, the most you are far from in the community, in the first, in first release, excellent. Okay. And it's also required for the marriage, both traditional marriage. It has been practiced in the first release community, but in more than days, it's changing a bit. Okay. Some are using also money, but in traditional days, still maintain the marriage with a cattle. Right. So, that's why it's very important for me. Okay. Yeah, still with you, Lieutenant Angela, just something that piqued my interest is, cattle is a bank account of the family. Do all the families of pastoralists understand that there's actually money involved in them having their cattle, because sometimes you find a household with large livestock, but people are still dying of hunger. Yes, actually they understand, but their mother's man is actually hard, because sometimes when you have a cattle or you have livestock, it's very hard for you to sell them. Why is it hard? So, they use them actually for the strategies that would be known that they have a lot of their cattle. And they need also to give them their marriage. And that's why sometimes they don't sell them. Right. Because also, they have a meat farm. They farm and they farm little. And the little that they farm is what they eat. Right. So, it's mostly for the influence and also for marriage. Exactly. Okay. Now, we have seen the community perception of cattle. So, now let's talk about women. How do the women perceive cattle rating, Mr. Angela? Yes, sometime is, as I said it earlier, they perceive it in a dowry, because we fade dowry in terms of cattle. Their perceived also has a foot, not foot alone, but the animal also is for shelter, because we use a skin in traditional way for bait. So, that's why it's very important for them. And it's important also at the time when there is a crisis and they want to fade their blood, their compensation, they use the cattle in the form of conversation. That is in traditional. But in the modern, they are paying money in terms of their cattle, according to the number of their cattle. Right. That is agreed upon the community. And that is also inherited. So, that is a possession that you have, they normally have. And they need each everyone to have for your daughter, for your sons. You also need to have them. And it's also, for them, I create a problem. Sometimes that will bring a conflict among their hard-ass and their farmers. So, this is also a challenge of this cattle. And also, they involve each and every one to fight its fate and for protection of the life of the animal and the life of the people and their property. So, it causes also the life. And it also creates the sexual base by violence at the same time because there's no enough protection when certain community has all the cattle raiders. Right. The killing then also will get a problem. Right. So, they will not get a good protection. Mm-hmm. And it also claims the life of Asian everyone in their cattle hard-ass. Yeah. Very sadly. Yes. Thank you so much, Lieutenant Angelou. Manuel, you're listening to Radio Mira. Of course, it's the crime watch program. We're speaking about the role of women in community violence and cattle raiding in South Sudan. Now, coming to you, Florence, we would like to understand, of course, what's been about the role of women in community violence, or cattle raiding in South Sudan, but fasting is fast. What are the characteristics of women? Characteristic of women. It's a short question. It's a long answer, but I'll keep it really short. Right. Well, of course, like everything we have double face in describing everything and describing women as well. But I'm going to focus on the positive side of women. Right. The positive side we are giving to women, and maybe this would also be elements helping out in dealing with cattle raiding in a positive way. Mm-hmm. So, we tend to see ladies and women as the nurturing, the basis of the family, the heart of the basis, and she's the one who is going to give the first hands to the children who are the next generation. We perceive women as a good negotiator. They have to find, they're always trying to find the right balance, the right middle between necessities and the situation. Mm-hmm. They also have a... They're able to judge and have a quick... They're quick at discerning and see what is good, what is bad, what is needed, what could be useful for the family, mostly good listeners. They have this adaptability because they are, I guess, because they are in charge of these small ones, then they have to adjust themselves very quickly in order to help the small ones as well. Mm-hmm. I would say they probably, in some ways, quite open to novelty or they're ready to consider it. And then what is interesting, again, in cattle raiding, I think they have, like, some kind of influence or power that might be misunderstood, underestimate in the moments. There could be a key element interesting to work on. Like what powers? They are the one who can... They can navigate, in some ways, if you can expertly use that word, between the different groups and between the different families, between the different... So it's easier for them, maybe, to interact, to speak about the problematic and maybe cool down a situation before it goes too far. Right. But are they given that opportunity to actually, you know, be the negotiators that they are called to be? Well, that's a good question. Maybe my colleague knows it. Yes. I mean, Phil, just bring us a speed. Because in the news department, every time there has been a cattle raid, women and children always bear the brunt. They are the ones that are, you know, taken by force. And are they given that platform as negotiators? Yes, because women are mentally always strong. And we are the backup of our men. That's why they secure us fast. Because they know by securing women, children will be safe, and all the other surrounding materials will be in a safer hands. Yeah, that's what I can add up. Okay. Thank you. Do you still have more, Florence? Just what I mentioned, I read an article about the two faces of women. And there's been a very nice expression. They were mentioning women as mother of peace and mother of war. So, as I said previously, yes, there's two face of it. And as a mother of peace, they were underlining the fact that there are elements able to break the vicious circle of revenge and escalating this violence. And also, what has been interesting is they realize there's been some activities where they actually ask women who suffer the loss of their husband or son during catarades. And the fact of these women expressing the sorrow, expressing what the impact he has on her life, made it quite, I mean, give material to think about the catarader. So when younger people will just realize, "Oh my God, this has an impact that's actually a war, not the greatest consideration." Right. And from all you say, I get that women are connected as mothers of peace through transmission of values, break of a cycle of violence, player on the kinship more flexible for negotiations, and also in sharing their sorrow. Thank you so much, Florence. Oh, let me, I'd like to add. Yeah, okay. You know, in our societies and communities, we, as women, need to be encouraged more. We need to be, however much we are educated, we are strong. We still need confident. So these confidence are given by the backups. And those backups could be violence or peace. We all need that. We need to be invited for conversations on how to be strong. We need to be enabled, how to move up. We need to be encouraged how to support and work in life balances. Right. And we need to be raised while incompetent of our struggles and confidence. Right. And the mic is still with you, Phil Bus. So what role do women play in the prevention of communal violence and cattle raids? Okay. As we always speak about women, we add a key values in everything that comes in. In our communal violence, we can play good roles, both positive and negative in our communities. And mobilizing for community development or attending meetings could be good for us because it brings people together. It raises awareness, assists in deliverance and resources. And then it gives us services to facilitate and strengthen our community participation. And then we can provide leadership in a behavioral manner by raising tensions to prevent the spread of conflict and create peace building. For our capacity. And then we also have positive roles like child upbringing and care. It helps children do better in school, managerial behaviors and problems, stronger mental health for their academic performances. And then we also need a community development for planning, training and other essential skills for us to be able to manage all the ratings in a good way. And these are the positive sides. Okay. Well, thank you so much. And what would the negative speed? The negatives are also there. We have transmission of values and preparation for the generation of warriors. This one requires a lot of efforts because if we don't focus on it so much, we might lose a lot. And as you know, women are always the key factors, whether in violence or in peace. So we need more than this to avoid the negative roles. We also need to tend to encourage not to raid kettles for the warriors. Because at the end of the day, we are women. If we think we need to raid them for the warriors, then it's like we are paying ourselves back. You see, I can't be waiting it for my brother and tomorrow my husband brings and the exchange. It's like a practice that is not good for our benefits. And then it also supports negative criminal collaborations because it is possible that with these kettles for women, violence can become a tool for political affairs. Yeah. There's a way it comes out negative like that. All right. Thank you so much for that. And as we conclude, if you have any question, the number two, call is 092929686297. We are speaking about cattle raids in our community and the role of women in community violence, stroke cattle raiding in South Sudan. Well, as we conclude Abu Bakr, is there anything else that you would like to add on our discussion? Yeah, thank you very much, our host. It has been interesting to always be hosted on Radio Miraya and especially in a discussion about the role of women. In the beginning, we made the mention that they are the backup bonus of our families. I just want to give an example. We are a mother to six sons. Some of the sons get involved in the cattle raid and by bad luck, four are injured. You will see confusion in the role of a mother to ensure that the son is hospitalized. Remember, many times when we are injured, we are sick, all the challenges, it is the mother who is near. So, there will be divided attention of this mother to attend to the four or five sons who may be victims of a raid. I want to encourage that let us continue talking. We continue talking and talk about it every other time we have. All right, so we do have collars on the line. Let's find out. Yes, Radio Miraya, good morning. All right, good morning. Hello. I am not quite saying that I am a mother. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. 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I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. I am not going to talk about this. Sometimes people go for reading for some issues. It is not only we are going to bring the cattle for the dowry or something. Sometimes it is for the revenge. When it is revenge, it is something discussed among the community. When they discuss it, there should be a women there in the forum. They also give their voice. After that, because you have lost their loved one, you do not want to say without conversating him or what, you will have to go. So much is discussed as a community. In such a situation, a woman cannot give advice for her husband to stay at home. It was definitely not listened to her. But for other reason, one of dowry, one of your condition. But it will not take the woman as she has stated. She has gone privately. And then it surprised you would hear. Oh dear. Thank you so much. We are concluding the program. Thank you so much for your messages. We hope that your questions have been answered. Yes, Lieutenant Angela will stop with you. What is your special message to our dear listeners? I will give you one minute, each. Thank you. Now we are talking about rural women. And we know women in our community. I was a back-ball. And they are part of our community. And they have a role to play in promoting peace and security. And we have to encourage the women also to be closely to work closely in partnership with their leaders and security personnel to address their need. And we will also involve the women in day-to-day activities so that they can also have some issues related to their women problems. So I also heard the government also also done to make this special consideration for the women in the camp and children also in the camp. Because most of them, they don't get education. And we always want to plan for education, either mobile education or the facilities. So that they can also be aware of what is going on in the country. So I feel to all everyone to be a woman in any conferences, seminars, in workshops. Thank you so much. And yes, Florence, what is your message to the people? Well, the message is brief summary of what has been saying during the emission. And I would say, yes, women do need support to move forward, to have led their voices being heard. But I would say it's a full teamwork because everything, I don't think we can succeed in that if we don't have the men's supports. So it's definitely a teamwork. Okay. Thank you. Phil, what's your message? I would like to say, first, thank you for the opportunity. Second, as we have been speaking about violence and women perception on communal and catariding, I would like to say, cattle, wrestling, myth, or reality is a case study. And then, in these situations of conflict, women persuade of communal recopditions in different ways. So a new beginning is never a bad ending. We can still begin from the start and still have a better ending. Thank you. All right. Thank you so much. Yes, Babakkha. Yeah, thank you very much. I want to say we are looking at women. Among the women, there is a girl. Among the women, there is a wife. So all of us, we have lotas, we have mothers, we have wives. And in the event of getting involved in cataracts and maybe we lose a dear one, this woman will now take responsibility of the father as well, which may be a bit complicated. I want to request that we continue working together as a team. That's right. To address this communal violence and the cataracts. Okay. Akobakkar, Mosiho, Florence, Daniel, Angelo, Manuel, and Finn Baluka. Thank you so much for your time.