S. Sudan must enact laws on violence against women: AU official
July 27, 2019 (JUBA) – South Sudanese leaders must enact and enforce laws that will end prevalent occurrences of sexual violence against women in the country, an African Union special envoy said.
“Men should be doing all these initiatives to end gender-based violence. I urge civil society organizations to advocate for legal frameworks that protect women in South Sudan,” said Chebbi.
She said the continental body already has in place plans to end all gender-based violence, with its focus geared towards eliminating all forms of violence, including genital mutilation and child marriage.
During the meeting, Chebbi reportedly discussed with the South Sudanese leader what AU has got to offer to the country’s youth.
The AU special envoy also met with different youth clusters in the country and held discussions on the challenges that affect them.
She described her visit to the East African nation as a symbol of hope to young people in terms of innovation and youth development.
72% of South Sudan’s 12.4 million population are 30 years old and below, estimates show.
Earlier this month, the AU’s legal counsel signed a document to form the Hybrid Court for South Sudan as stipulated in the 2018 peace deal. Once in operation, the court will combine South Sudanese and other African judges and staff to investigate and prosecute allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
Thousands of women and girls in Africa’s youngest nation have reportedly suffered brutal sexual violence as armed groups employed rape as a weapon of war. Last year, the United Nations mission in the country documented 238 cases, involving 1,291 victims.
(ST)