The life of women in Sudan is far from easy. Wars and famines have had major consequences for the entire population, but especially for the lives of women. Education and healthcare are the sectors most affected by all catastrophes. This article was written before the country was divided into northern and southern parts and therefore concerns both women in the north and the south.
Education
In large parts of Sudan it is still common for girls to marry young, a girl over 16 is considered an old maid. Many families do not consider it necessary for their daughters to receive education, it is better if they help out in the household, in order to learn their future tasks. Moreover, a girl brings in a dowry, which is necessary to get the sons married as well. Girls marry young and are then expected to have children immediately, with all the dangers that entails. The pressure to have many children has increased due to the war.
healthcare
Sudan has suffered from civil war and famine for decades. All this has had major consequences for the entire population, but especially for the women in the country. They were often forced to just keep their families going and provide for themselves. The already difficult healthcare system became even more problematic due to the ongoing war, meaning that many women did not have access to the necessary care. All this has led to an alarmingly high number of women and babies dying during or shortly after childbirth. In Sudan, 590 die during childbirth out of 100,000 births.
Female circumcision
Another problem that many girls and women in Sudan face is female circumcision. This is still common practice for a very large part of the population, although there are now protests against this custom from the West, but also from Islamic groups. In female circumcision, the female external genitalia are partially or completely cut away. This leads to problems with menstruation, urination, sexual intercourse and childbirth, problems that regularly lead to the death of women. Most girls are circumcised when they are about 8 years old and this often happens under primitive conditions, with some girls already dying. However, many men only want to marry a circumcised girl, a reason why many mothers feel called to have their daughters circumcised, despite the objections involved.
Refugees
A large part of the Sudanese population has been forced to flee due to the constant wars and famines. Many families, often without men, ended up in the densely populated refugee camps. Here they are forced to look for work, which is hardly available, the lucky ones can work as servants. Those who are less fortunate end up in prostitution or in the illegal burning of ‘araqi’, the local variant of araq. This comes with the risk of being arrested by the police, because both ‘professions’ are illegal. Eighty percent of women in prisons are held for prostitution or illegal liquor production. Because many of these women have dependent children, the children are kept in prison with their mothers, making already overcrowded prisons even more crowded. makes.
Positive sound
Although the position of women in Sudan is certainly not enviable, the country nevertheless has a long tradition of women’s rights. Sudan was a forerunner in this field in the African and Arab world. In contrast to many other African and Arab countries, women’s rights are enshrined in the country’s constitution and there are relatively many women in high positions. Although the illiteracy rate in the country is still shockingly high, especially among women and girls, the percentage of women in universities is higher than the percentage of men. Women now also have jobs as doctors, judges and even ministers.