Include GBV component in police curriculum: law body

January 22, 2022 (JUBA) – South Sudan government should include the gender-based violence (GBV) component in police training curriculum, Justice Ajonye Perpetua, the acting Secretary General of South Sudan Law Society (SSLS) said on Friday.

The official was speaking at a workshop organized by SSLS to raise community awareness on gender-sensitive police response and GBV survivors’ protection.

“We need holistic training on gender-based violence among police trainees so that when they are passed out, each police officer has an idea of what constitutes gender-based violence,” said Ajonye.

Gender-based violence has long been a pervasive and universal human rights issue, rooted in unequal power relations, structural inequalities and discrimination.

Ajonye said over 2,400 GBV cases were recorded in South Sudan between February and July 2021, decrying the rising GBV cases among boys and men.

“It now upon us to protect the women, men, boys, girls and children in South Sudan from the gender-based violence practices in our societies,” she stressed.

Gasper Amule from SSLS emphasized the importance of establishing police units consisting of female officers, particularly tasked to handle GBV cases.

“The role of female officers is particularly important in interviewing victims, witnesses and suspects, especially with women and children. The ability for a victim or survivor to speak to a person of their own gender will ensure that the best evidence is obtained and victims are supported,” he said.

Amule said gender-sensitive police reforms will enable effective prevention as well as response to specific security needs of women and men, boys and girls.

“Gender sensitive police reforms should also contribute towards building police institutions which are non-discriminatory, reflective of the diversity of citizens and accountable to the population at large. As such, police services will better fulfill the police’s essential mandate of upholding the rule of law,” he remarked.

Poverty, abuses of power, corruption, culture, vulnerability and gender roles were considered key factors causing GBV in South Sudan today.

In December 2020, a specialized court for sexual, gender-based violence and conflict-related sexual violence was launched and is fully operational.

(ST)