Authorities in South Sudan’s Gbudue State say cases of rape and gender-based violence are on the rise.

The Gender-Based Violence department at Yambio Hospital has recorded about 19 cases in two months, Joyce Dany, a certified nurse at the department told Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday.

According to Mama Joyce, as she is commonly known, the cases are on the rise because young girls are often moving at night, making them vulnerable to crime and rape in particular.

“The mothers and fathers should not allow their daughters out of the house past 6 or 7 PM. The girls should be at home by that time, these are the times when most of these rape cases have been reported,” she advised.

Mama Joyce urged women to report any cases of rape and gender-based violence to the office, so that action can be taken.

Grace Jeremiah, a resident of Yambio said she managed to survive a rape after neighbours came to her help. However, she said many times her fellow women who are mostly widows are not lucky.

“On Tuesday night a man came to my house and tried to tie my mouth. I struggled with him until he fell. When he tried to undress me, I started to shout and neighbours came. When he heard people coming, he fled and dropped a condom. This is what happened,” she recounted.

Grace called on the government to provide security for women in the state.

A member of Gbudue State Legislative Assembly and chairperson of the Women Caucus Mary Nginzo last Friday raised the alarm of increased rape and gender-based violence in the state. She said women are raped on the way to and from the market, school, and other business activities.

“We have a problem of rape, especially in young girls and businesswomen. When these women come from their businesses, they are attacked, looted and taken to the bush and raped,” Mary said.

She urged women to report any cases, stressing that the assembly is doing its best to create awareness against gender-based violence.

Mary noted that the police do not arrest the perpetrators because many of the victims are scared of reporting due to the stigma associated with rape.