NAIROBI, 20 January 2012 (IRIN) - The main threats to women in South Sudan derive from chronic deficits in health, economic opportunities, access to food and gender equality, rather than weapons, despite the prevalence of militias and armed conflict, according to the Small Arms Survey.

"In the home, the place where they should feel most secure, women face numerous threats," states the report.

"One in seven South Sudanese women will die in pregnancy or childbirth." A married woman of childbearing age is expected to become pregnant at least once every three years until menopause, it explained. Coupled with low contraceptive use amid polygamous unions, this increases the risk of disease.

Women are also exposed to "endemic" domestic violence. With fathers in many communities traditionally enjoying automatic custody rights, the "risk of losing their children forces many South Sudanese women to remain in abusive marriages". Widows are especially vulnerable, due to a lack of public safety nets. "Do they want to hear about our suffering? What will they do with it?" asked a Member of Parliament interviewee. "If somebody like me who is an MP and a widow cannot get any support, what about those women in the villages who have nobody to speak for them?"

Hunger is also a problem, with high food prices piling pressure on already struggling families, adds the report.


Source:  Integrated Regional Information Networks (http://www.irinnews.org )