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More than 40 senior members of opposition forces in Diel, Central Upper Nile, gathered last week for a two-day workshop facilitated by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), in order to identify concrete actions to help eliminate conflict-related sexual violence in the area.
“This training is an important step in getting both civilians and armed personnel to become more aware of the consequences of sexual misconduct,” said Ruach Gatwech Jiech, deputy chairperson of an action plan committee on sexual violence.
More than 40 senior members of opposition forces in Diel, Central Upper Nile, gathered last week for a two-day workshop facilitated by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Their aim was to identify concrete actions to help eliminate conflict-related sexual violence in the area.
“This training is an important step in getting both civilians and armed personnel to become more aware of the consequences of sexual misconduct,” said Ruach Gatwech Jiech, deputy chairperson of an action plan committee on sexual violence. “We believe this training was very successful and hope that more will be held in the future.”
In March, representatives of opposition forces in Diel finalized a zero-tolerance campaign for such actions in the community, which was endorsed by the military in June.
“UNMISS is here today to provide technical support in rolling out the identified action plan and encourage compliance through promoting an understanding of its stipulations,” said Huma Khan, a senior Women’s Protection Advisor serving with the peacekeeping mission.
The training was made possible with support from the Multi-Partner Trust Fund of the UN for Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict. In South Sudan, the fund currently supports initiatives to strengthen the capacity of parties to the conflict to identify, mitigate, and act against sexual violence.
UNMISS plans to further support these initiatives by conducting additional trainings for armed personnel on both sides of the conflict.
According to a report put out by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in March, conflict-related sexual violence includes but is not limited to acts of rape, sexual slavery, coerced prostitution, forced marriages, pregnancies and abortions, and involuntary sterilization, directly resulting from conflict.
The report mentions that in 2018, UN Mission in South Sudan recorded 238 cases of sexual violence involving 1,291 victims. A majority of those subjected to these crimes consisted of women and girls, while 153 were children. The most common violations included sexual slavery, rape, and gang rape.
Source: https://unmiss.unmissions.org/training-geared-eliminating-conflict-related-sexua...