SIHA SENDS URGENT MEMO TO DETER GBV IN SUDAN TO ATTORNEY GENERAL

Khartoum –Sudan

May 27/2020

The Attorney   General of Sudan: Mr.  Tag el-Sir el-Hibir:

Subject: An urgent memo to deter gender-based violence (GBV) in Sudan

Dear Sir the Attorney General:

We, the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) Network, submit this memo to you based on our daily work, which includes responding to the masses of women survivors of violence in Sudan. We hope that you will consider our demands.

Dear Sir, there is no doubt about the role women play in Sudan and their fundamental contributions to society. Women were the nucleus and engine of the Sudanese revolutions. In the national liberation movements, women contributed as feminist groups, political parties, and individuals to advance Sudanese democracy, peace, and stability. Sudanese women were leaders and pioneers during the revolution, just as they continue to be leaders and pioneers now in the transition.

Dear Sir, the challenges facing women and girls should feature among the priorities of the Sudanese Justice system. As you are aware, the previous Sudanese regime used the rule of law to suppress women, legitimizing their criminalization and actively working to normalize violence against women and girls. Much of this legal framework is still in place and binding. To this day, Sudan remains one of the very few countries in the world without any active legal mechanisms to address gender-based violence.

Dear Sir, the lockdown policies implemented in response to the COVID -19 pandemic have triggered further violence against women and girls. The scale of violence has risen dramatically, putting hundreds of women and girls across the country at risk of losing their lives or suffering serious injury. According to our research, the lockdown measures have also increased the prevalence of forced, female-child marriage and the sexual exploitation of children.

Dear Sir the Attorney General: We, at SIHA network and our partners, express our deep concern regarding the situation of women and girls as we know that they are facing increases in the frequency and severity of violence during this period of COVID-19 quarantine. In light of these circumstances we seek from your Excellencies rapid intervention to implement the following demands:

1. To urgently form special police units and courts with comprehensive training on addressing gender-based violence, similar to that of the Family and Child Unit.
2. To establish channels of collaboration between the general attorney and the 24-hour hotline as part of a larger rapid response to GBV established by the GBV Prevention Unit at the Ministry of Social Welfare.
3. To assign female and male prosecutors to address gender-based violence issues and to enable GBV response training opportunities through civil society and universities.
4. To provide safe housing for violence survivors, in which all components of the state work to ensure their safety and that their perpetrators are brought to justice.
5. To work with other state agencies to repeal laws that discriminate against women, including articles that enable criminalization and persecution of women based on moral biases, and to develop laws that ensure and protect full equality between women and men.
6. To endorse ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Protocol to the African Charter for the Protection of Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) equally to all other countries around the world, including majority Muslim societies.

We hope that the injustices and deprivations we have endured are not being overlooked, but rather benefit from the acumen of your Excellency.

Hala Al Karib

On behalf of SIHA NETWORK