The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has conducted a two-day workshop to address gender-based violence (GBV) in Maridi County, South Sudan.
UNMISS said an assessment it carried out in Western Equatoria indicated an increase in cases of GBV and other human rights violations in the area.
One of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), goal three, focuses on promoting the well-being for all at all ages.
‘Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages’, the SDG three reads.
UNMISS said more than 30 persons in Maridi County, including women, the youth, local government officials and representatives from civil society groups, participated in the workshop.
‘More than thirty persons in Maridi County, among them women, youth, local government officials and representatives from civil society groups, participated in a two-day workshop dedicated to the cause’, UNMISS said in a statement.
UNMISS said that chiefs in the area were not always judging cases in traditional courts in the correct way, as the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in fighting GBV was also highlighted.
‘I have acquired a lot of new knowledge here, so when I return home, I will definitely share this important information on human rights with other women in my area’, UNMISS quoted a representative from a local CSO, Jenty Night, as saying.
‘I will also urge our men to give women opportunities to be included in decision-making and participate in any public affairs that affect them. Only if we are empowered can we stand up for our rights’, Night added.
Data from the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) shows that GBV is one of the most critical threats to the protection and well-being of women and children in South Sudan.
A study by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) also revealed that violence against women and girls is pervasive and that up to 65 percent of women had experienced either sexual or physical violence in their lifetime.
A brutal civil war, which has resulted in the death of nearly 400,000 people and displacement of millions in Africa’s youngest nation, has worsened GBV cases in the country.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) had reported that GBV cases, including rape, sexual assault, harassment, domestic violence, forced marriage, and survival sex, was already a persistent problem in South Sudan prior to the war.
Source: UNMISS
Photo source: UNMISS
