SUDAN: Southern Sudan – Aid Agencies Study Highlights 'Unreported' Gender Based Violence

Date: 
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Source: 
Women's Views on News
Countries: 
Africa
Eastern Africa
Sudan
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
Peacekeeping
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

If there is one group that faces special challenges in Southern Sudan, it is women.

Principal among them is gender-based violence, which is under-reported and spreading given the long history of conflict, certain traditional practices and weak judicial systems, IRIN reports.

After 21 years of war, there is little accurate information on Southern Sudan.

The 2008 population census gave some pointers, but data on social issues such as GBV is still unavailable. Officials at Rumbek hospital in Lakes State said the number of cases they were receiving had gone up due to a new clinic, but there was still under-reporting.

The findings of a study by aid agencies, the UN and government, which are due to be released by the end of the year, should shed some light.

According to the UN Population Fund, women in Southern Sudan prefer dealing with cases of sexual and reproductive rights violations through customary law.

A recent report by the US Institute of Peace and the Rift Valley Institute noted that “at the local level, the boundaries between customary chiefs' courts and government courts — and between customary and statutory law – are blurred”.
Observers, however, say customary laws tend to favour men and often punish women in cases of rape.