New taskforce set to combat sexual and gender-based violence in Jonglei

Significant efforts are being made to combat the sexual and gender-based violence that perseveres in plaguing mostly women and girls in South Sudan. In another bid to put an end to these harmful practices, Jonglei State has launched a taskforce set to coordinate all actions taken to tackle them.

The objective of the new body is to equip relevant authorities and other stakeholders with the tools and strategies needed to prevent and respond to incidents of gender-based violence of a sexual or other nature.

The formation of the taskforce is the result of discussions between the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare and the Gender Affairs Unit of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

“Jonglei State urgently needed a strong mechanism to address both increasing numbers of abductions and frequent intercommunal violence that threatens the lives of women and girls. UNMISS will continue to provide its technical support and knowledge to help the new entity succeed,” said Geetha Pious, Head of the peacekeeping mission’s Field Office in Bor.

While women and girls throughout South Sudan are at risk of being subjected to sexual and other forms of violence, residents of Greater Jonglei, a region prone to intercommunal conflicts that often turn violent, may be particularly vulnerable to assaults of this kind.

“Immediate, coordinated action is needed. We must mobilize our resources to give this new team a chance to address these crimes in an effective way,” asserted Atong Martha Alaak, a state parliamentarian.

The taskforce consists of individuals representing a wide variety of stakeholders, including parliament, traditional leaders, security forces, the judiciary and civil society organizations.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).