UPR Sexual Rights Database

National Report:
Para 12) [The Elections Act] was amended in 2014 to increase the proportion of women from 25 per cent to 30 per cent and to improve geographical and proportional representation in order to widen participation.

Para 33) The findings of a workforce survey to determine levels of employment and participation in economic life among men and women made public in April 2012. Among its more significant results, the survey showed that economic participation among both sexes increased from 39.3 per cent in 1999 to 43 per cent in 2011. The number of people reliant on paid work jumped to 40.1 per cent, standing at 43.6 per cent for men and 29.4 per cent for women.

Para 71) The national policy for the empowerment of women - which was adopted by the Council of Ministers in 2007 and has been used as a reference for the Constitution, national laws and regional and international treaties - has been updated for the period 2015-2016, with the help of development partners. Projects included in the policy aim to address issues such as ... political participation ... A detailed outline of a national policy to empower women has been proposed, incorporated into the second five-year plan (2012-2016) and sent out to districts and provinces.

Para 72) The participation of women in the national legislature in 2015 was as follows. There were 131 female members of the National Assembly which has a total number of seats of 450, and there were 16 female members, out of a total of 56, of the Council of States.

Para 73) Following the 2014 amendments to electoral law, the people of Sudan helped to reinforce the foundations of democracy by participating in the April 2015 elections and the peaceful transfer of power. The proportion of women in parliament went up from 25 to 30 per cent ...

National Report:
Para 38) A memorandum of understanding has been signed with UNICEF on a pilot project under which cash transfers would be made to mothers for the first 1,000 days of their child’s life. The project targets 50,000 mothers in the states of Kassala and Red Sea;
Para 39) A memorandum of understanding on facilitated loans was concluded in July 2019 to enable target groups to gain easy access to funding. In fact, funding has been provided to 7,751 beneficiaries and 135 women’s groups and associations via the Savings and Social Development Bank and the Family Bank. A total of around 250 million Sudanese pounds has been allocated by the two banks for the loans scheme, 100 million by the former and 150 million by the latter.
Para 67) The State has taken positive steps to empower women and enable them to enjoy a greater number of civil and political rights. Under the Constitutional Document, at least 40 per cent of the members of the Legislative Council are to be women.
Para 68) A number of policies, strategies, plans, programmes and projects have been prepared. The most significant of these was the national policy for the empowerment of women, which the Government approved in 2007 then updated in 2017. An action plan for the implementation of the policy at the central level and in the states has also been adopted as part of government plans, in line with the Agenda 2063 of the African Union and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Various activities, programmes and projects are run in cooperation with United Nations agencies and with other bodies and institutions, and a national gender equality action plan has been adopted. Para 69) In line with the Constitutional Document, the Government has appointed women to leadership positions, including that of presidency of a state and head of a ministry, as well as to leading roles in the judiciary.
Para 70) Women’s issues have been integrated into various sectors where they have been given support in the performance of their jobs with capacity-building and skills development. A ministerial committee has been set up to review legislation affecting women.
Para 71) One State initiative in the area of education has been the education strategy 2007– 2031. A five-year educational plan has also been rolled out, which emphasizes the importance of generalizing basic education, increasing rates of completion, reducing dropout, training teachers and creating new classrooms in order to address admission disparities.
Para 72) A strategy has been developed which aims to reduce disparities in quality and to increase the level of education among girls, focusing particularly upon nomads and displaced persons.
Para 73) Public awareness about issues affecting women and their rights is being promoted, in which regard a number of alliances and other bodies have been formed, and community advocacy initiatives on behalf of women have been organized.
Para 76) The Constitutional Document and the Juba Peace Agreement envisage a political will to uphold freedoms and to provide opportunities for the involvement of women at a level of at least 40 per cent.
Para 79) The Government rolled out its national policy for the empowerment of women in 2007 then updated in 2017, making it part of overall development plans.
Para 88) A survey has been conducted into the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and on medium- and small-sized enterprises run by women.
Para 110) A detailed plan regarding the national policy for the empowerment of women was developed and incorporated into the second five-year plan 2012–2017. It was applied in the capital and in the states to women in vulnerable categories and women with disabilities.
Para 116) As part of its efforts in this regard, the State has set up specialized mechanisms to promote the welfare of vulnerable groups such as women. The Ministry of Social Development – as the competent national institution charged with developing policies and strategies for vulnerable categories such as women and persons with disabilities – works as a coordinating body among the relevant authorities in the states.
Para 118) The State has established women and family affairs departments in a number of ministries and government institutions and has set up departmental offices at the state level.

UN Compilation:
Para 33) The Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan noted that physical distancing measures had severely hit the service sector, which absorbed over a million workers, mostly in low-income and casual jobs. Consequently, there was a high risk that many businesses would fail if the disruption of normal business operations continued. The informal hospitality sector, notably the work of women tea sellers, was impacted through the general reduction of the economy.
Para 38) The Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan expressed concern that the COVID-19 pandemic might compromise the chances of the Sudan to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. … Food insecure populations, including internally displaced persons, refugees, migrants, returnees, host communities and women and children, had limited coping mechanisms to buffer the impact.

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 75) JS13 noted that the Juba Agreement stipulates women’s representation in all levels of government and decision-making in a fair and effective manner, with a representation of no less than 40%. Thus, a representation rate of 15.3% in the current cabinet is an explicit violation and contravention of the Constitution. JS13 recommended to change the current composition of the Cabinet, and abide by its constitutional obligation to represent women equitably, at a rate of no less than 40% of the Cabinet.

National Report:
Para 22) Sudan is in the process of ratifying the following instruments: • CEDAW (1979);

National Report:
Para 11) The [Criminal Code] was amended in 2015 with the addition of the offence of sexual harassment and the separation of the offence of rape from that of adultery in article 149, thereby removing all ambiguity and ensuring just and fair treatment for victims. Two paragraphs were added to article 88: paragraph (a) which makes it a crime for public officials to abuse their office or authority, and paragraph (b) which defines a public official as anyone who works in a legislative, executive, administrative or judicial capacity, whether appointed or elected.

Para 97) The Criminal Code as amended in 2015 stipulates penalties for offences that fall within the concept of violence against women such as sexual harassment. It also differentiates between adultery and rape.

Para 99) A draft national policy to combat violence against women and children has been drawn up for the period 2016-2031.

Para 100) The five-year national plan to combat violence against women 2012-2016 has been adopted. The unit for combating violence against women and children follows up on the implementation of the plan by acting as a coordination mechanism between ministries, the provinces, civil society organizations and United Nations organizations.

Para 101) The unit for combating violence against women and children has created 14 subunits at the provincial level, including 4 four subunits in four of the provinces of Darfur. A network of civil society organizations engaged in combating violence against women has also been set up in order to improve coordination between the State sector and civil society, and it focuses particular attention on the issue of violence against women in Darfur. A number of action plans for the provinces of Darfur have emerged from the national plan to combat violence against women, and these have been discussed with the European Union in Brussels.

Para 102) The unit has worked with the Ministry of the Interior to increase the number of female police officers involved in protecting civilians in camps, especially women. A course has been developed to train female police officers in investigation techniques and in the principles of international humanitarian law and human rights.

Para 103) Training and capacity-building courses focusing on international, regional and national law have been run for persons working in the judiciary and law enforcement agencies. Female police officers have received training in how to conduct criminal investigations in cases involving violence against women, and a guide on medical treatment in cases of rape has been developed.

Para 104) The report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the prevention of violence against women and girls (E/CN/6/2013/4) mentioned the Sudan as one of 10 States to have reported on the establishment of coordination mechanisms, including task forces, dedicated units, working and interministerial groups and observatories.

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 28) HRW, JS2 and JS7 were concerned that rape crimes continued to be used as a weapon, with allegations about the rape of 200 women in 2014 in Tabit, Darfur by SAF which were not investigated thoroughly or punished.

National Report:
Para 53) ... Committees have been formed to study the possibility of acceding to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.