The United Nations Human Rights Council is calling on South Sudan to investigate top government officials for their alleged role in sexual violence across the country.
In a statement, the UN acknowledges the government’s effort to tackle sexual violence.
The UN experts explain that South Sudan should immediately remove from office and investigate Governors and County Commissioners credibly alleged to be complicit in systematic rape.
This came during the conference on Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) where a delegation from South Sudan participated.
Chairperson of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, Yasmin Sooka says many women experience conflict by being repeatedly gang raped.
She called on the authorities to hold to account a senior commander in the army accused of promoting violence against women and girls.
” It is not enough, now and again, to try a handful of junior officers without holding those in command responsible,” Sooka said.
“It is meaningless for the Government to come up with an array of declarations, national commitments, pledges and plans if no action is taken against those in high office who are responsible for the repeated violence against women and girls.”
In 2014, President Salva Kiir signed a joint communiqué with the United Nations agreeing to be a champion in the fight against conflict-related sexual violence in South Sudan.
In 2015 the opposition SPLM/A-IO announced its Action Plan to tackle sexual violence and a further Implementation Plan.
The South Sudan army unveiled an Action Plan to tackle sexual violence that led to the establishment of a Gender Based Violence Court in Juba.
The Human Rights Council states that, being gang raped is still one of the main ways in which women and girls experience ongoing conflicts, with the vast majority of cases unreported because of fear of rejection by families and communities.
This is not the first-time serious allegations have been levelled against the country by the Human Rights Commission.
On 25 November, South Sudan launched an International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women that will run through December 10.
The 16 Days of Activism is an annual worldwide campaign against gender base violence.