Foreword

This report contributes to the ongoing efforts of various actors in South Sudan to catalyze support for a broad and inclusive dialogue on sexual and gender based violence (SGBV). Drawing on both national and regional expertise, the report provides insights into many key aspects of SGBV as it arises in the South Sudanese context. If efforts to generate a more effective response to SGBV are to be successful, they must be informed by evidence-based strategies and coordinated action by individuals and organizations working on these issues.

The recommendations provided in this report provide a starting point with which to build support for a more comprehensive program to combat SGBV in South Sudan. Sexual and gender based violence, particularly conflict-related sexual violence (CSRV), has increased dramatically in South Sudan following the outbreak of conflict in December 2013.

Numerous reports from the UN, AU and human rights organizations point to the deliberate and systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war by all sides in the conflict. The reports from the conflict zone are almost too numerous to recount. They include stories of women and girls being gang raped, subject to genital mutilation and forced abortion by armed actors, widespread sexual slavery, men being forced to rape female relatives and the castration of small boys, to name a few.

Things have not always been this way in South Sudan. Traditionally speaking, under the customary laws of the peoples of South Sudan, rape and sexual violence during conflict are considered abhorrent and completely unacceptable. That these practices have become so widespread is a testament to the impact that decades of conflict have had on South Sudanese society. For 40 of the last 60 years, South Sudan has been at war and the latest conflict has been characterized by some of the most intense and extreme violence ever witnessed in the country. This has left an indelible mark on the way that males and females relate to one another, and in the willingness of armed actors to violate deeply-held social norms for shortterm tactical advantage on the battlefield.

The peace agreement that the warring parties signed in August 2015 offers some hope that the guns can be silenced, but securing lasting peace will require much more than signatures by a few political and military elites. For SGBV to be addressed in its entirety and for sound programs and policies to be developed in line with South Sudanese views on the topic, the Government must provide space for broad public dialogue on SGBV. Most importantly, any such national dialogue must make provision for survivors – male, female, old and young – to play a central role in shaping law and policy on SGBV. The peace agreement provides a window of opportunity to begin engaging the public in this type of discourse, but unless key actors committed to progressive change seize the opportunity, it will pass like other opportunities have passed, setting the stage for more violence in the future.

David Deng
Research Director
South Sudan Law Society