The United Nations reported today that women continue to be harassed and attacked both inside and outside the UN “Protection of Civilians” site in Bentiu, where peacekeepers are protecting an estimated 50,000 conflict-displaced people.
Bentiu is a town on the bank of the Bahr al-Ghazal river in Unity State, controlled by two allied armed groups, SPLM/A-Juba and SSLM/A.
In a brieing report today the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated, “Women and girls in Bentiu report an increase in assaults and harassment by soldiers. Partners are expanding support on their advocacy work.”
Additionally, the UN said that reportedly youths have been “attacking and harassing women at night in the Bentiu PoC sites.”
In the same camp, 889 children were screened for malnutrition at the Bentiu PoC site during the last week. Results showed 5.4% severe malnutrition rate and 16.8% moderate malnutrition. OCHA stated that this represents a “stable” trend of malnutrition.