Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-03-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to protect and support the rights of women and girls in South Sudan.
Mr Nick Hurd
The UK continues to press the Government of South Sudan to progress its commitments to tackle violence against women, to push for both the Government and Opposition to meet the agreed quotas for women’s participation in the transitional government of national unity.
Our development programmes in country dovetail with HMG’s overall efforts to support the rights of women in South Sudan. Through our Access to Justice Programme we seek to improve access to justice for those subjected to sexual and gender based violence. Our education programmes seek to empower women including the Girls Education South Sudan programme which operates in all South Sudanese states to help 200,000 girls complete secondary school. Our humanitarian support funds projects in the conflict-affected Greater Upper Nile region to prevent and respond to Gender-Based Violence against women and girls. Women’s empowerment projects in Lakes and Central Equatoria states are funded through the cross-governmental Conflict, Stability and Security Fund and the FCO’s Human Rights and Democracy Programme.
