By Fatou Bojang
The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), in collaboration with the African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies, held a side event addressing the human rights situation in Sudan, which aimed to update civil society on ongoing human rights violations and discuss areas of joint advocacy for accountability in Sudan.
Tahani Abbas Ali, founder of Nora organisation for combating SVAW&G, said there is lot of pregnancy cases in Sudan which is dire for women and girls, as the collapse of the health sector has left them without medical support. “Survivors of rape are unable to access necessary care to prevent pregnancy and sexual diseases. Even the lady providing voluntary medical support was attacked and raped in an attempt to stop her from helping others.”
She recommended the African commission to focus on helping women who have been sexually violated or are pregnant. She urged African civil society organisations and the African Center for Democracy to support Sudanese women facing sexual abuse through a campaign.
Mohamed Badawi, monitoring and documentation director for African Center for Justice and Peace Studies, lamented that the lack of accountability and the need for transitional justice to address past injustices, the women and girls in Sudan came together in April 2019 to protest against the oppressive Islamic regime that had been in power for over 30 years. “They called for the reform of laws that restricted their rights and participation in public life, such as the public order law.
“As Human Rights defenders, we are committed to stopping human rights abuses in Sudan and advocating for accountability and transitional justice. We hope to bring about positive change by addressing issues such as killings, sexual slavery, rape, adoption, and the right to participate in elections and democracy to ensure the rights of the Sudanese people especially women and girls are respected,” Badawi said.
