Pope Francis warned Saturday that South Sudan’s future depends on how it treats its women.
Pope Francis warned Saturday that South Sudan’s future depends on how it treats its women, as he highlighted their horrific plight in a country where sexual violence is rampant, child brides are common and the maternal mortality rate is the highest in the world., Francis called for women and girls to be respected, protected and honored during a meeting in the South Sudanese capital Juba with some of the 2 million people who have been forced by fighting and flooding to flee their homes.
to sexual and gender-based violence, with U.N. statistics estimating some four out of 10 have been victim to one or more forms of assault. She said women and girls were at risk for rape when they were just out doing their daily routines and chores.“If the women of South Sudan are given an opportunity to develop, to have space to be productive, South Sudan will be transformed,” she told Francis.
Half of South Sudan’s women are married before age 18, and they then face the world’s highest maternal mortality rate. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said in a report last year that overall, women and girls here live a “hellish existence.”“South Sudanese women are physically assaulted while being raped at gunpoint, typically held down by men while being abused by others.
Welby, too, addressed the plight of women during his remarks at an ecumenical prayer service later Saturday. He praised their “incredible” strength when “on top of the grief of conflict and the responsibility to provide for your families, many of you live with the trauma of sexual violence and the daily fear of mistreatment in your own homes.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Pope Francis takes peace mission to South Sudan after DRCThe 'pilgrimage of peace' is the first-ever papal visit to the country since the predominantly Christian nation gained independence from Muslim-majority Sudan in 2011.
Read more »
Pushing for peace in South Sudan, Pope Francis visits nation in shamblesFor a pope who has prioritized outreach to the developing world, majority-Catholic South Sudan has long represented an ultimate test in the church’s ability to help in nation-building.
Read more »
Pope Francis arrives in South Sudan in hopes he can revive the peace processPope Francis has arrived in South Sudan, on the second leg of a trip to Africa he has called 'a pilgrimage of peace.' It's the world's youngest country with a large Catholic population, and has suffered violent conflict since the end of its civil war.
Read more »
Pope Francis lands in South Sudan to urge peace as fighting kills 27Pope Francis has landed in South Sudan, opening the second and final leg of his African pilgrimage with plans to encourage the young country’s stalled peace process.
Read more »
Pope Francis arrives in South Sudan in hopes he can revive the peace processPope Francis has arrived in South Sudan on the second leg of a trip to Africa he has called 'a pilgrimage of peace.' It's the world's youngest country with a sizeable Catholic population and has suffered violent conflict since the end of its civil war.
Read more »
Pope Francis pleads for peace as he meets South Sudanese people displaced by war | CNNPope Francis called for peace on Saturday as he met a group of several hundred South Sudanese people internally displaced by war at an event in the country's capital Juba.
Read more »