Women advocates accuse traditional chiefs of violating women’s rights
The chairperson of the South Sudan Women Advocates Association says some traditional leaders are violating women’s rights by handling cases beyond their legal authority. Advocate Basfila Banisto says chiefs need to understand the limits of their powers, especially when dealing with criminal cases such as rape and murder, which should be referred to the appropriate courts. “We have realised that chiefs are among those who violate women’s rights because they sometimes handle cases that are beyond their jurisdiction. For example, a chief is not supposed to rule on rape cases because rape is a criminal offence. However, due to a lack of understanding of the law, some chiefs may order a victim to marry the perpetrator or accept compensation. This is wrong because rape is a criminal case,” she…
