End gender-based violence, U.S embassy urges South Sudan

November 25, 2024 (JUBA) – South Sudan transitional government should demonstrate its commitment to preventing gender-based violence (GBV) by ensuring that perpetrators of GBV are held accountable and supporting the violence survivors, the United States embassy said on Monday.

“In South Sudan, conflict routinely fuels rape, sexual harassment, abduction, physical harm, and other forms of violence against women and girls,” the embassy said in a statement release on the occasion to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 45 percent of South Sudanese women between the ages of 15 and 64 experience physical violence in their lifetime.

The US said it stands with all in South Sudan who work to advance gender equality and to support the rights of women and girls.

The position reflects the enduring foundational values that drove US engagement with the people of South Sudan in the decades leading up to the country’s independence and continues to this day, it noted.

The United Nations General Assembly has designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The premise of the day is to raise awareness around the world that women are subjected to rape, domestic violence as well as other forms o violence.

(ST)