The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan on Monday published a 48-page report that describes a hellish existence for women and girls.
According to the report, widespread rape is being perpetrated by all armed groups across the country, often as part of military tactics for which government and military leaders are responsible, either due to their failure to prevent these acts or for their failure to punish those involved.
“It is outrageous and completely unacceptable that women’s bodies are systematically used on this scale as the spoils of war,” declared Yasmin Sooka, chair of the UN Commission. “Urgent and demonstrable action by authorities is long overdue, and South Sudanese men must stop regarding the female body as ‘territory’ to be owned, controlled and exploited.”
The report is based on interviews conducted with victims and witnesses over several years. Survivors detailed staggeringly brutal and prolonged gang rapes perpetrated against them by multiple men, often while their husbands, parents, or children have been forced to watch, helpless to intervene. Women of all ages recounted being raped multiple times while other women were also being raped around them.
“Anyone reading the details of this horrific report can only begin to imagine what life is like for the survivors. These accounts are unfortunately just the tip of the iceberg. Everyone, inside and outside governments, should be thinking what they can do to prevent further acts of sexual violence and to provide adequate care for the survivors,” said Andrew Clapham, member of the Commission.
The reports= says that South Sudanese women are physically assaulted while being raped at gunpoint, typically held down by men while being abused by others. They are told not to resist in the slightest way, and not to report what happened, or they will be killed. A woman described her friend being raped by a man in the jungle who then said he wanted to continue to ‘have fun’ and further raped her with a firewood stick until she bled to death.
Husbands searching for abducted wives and daughters often spend years not knowing their fate. Some learned they were abducted by men from rival ethnic groups and forced to bear multiple children – one such man was so traumatized he wanted to take his own life.
The Commission found that these attacks were not random opportunistic incidents, but usually involved armed soldiers actively hunting down women and girls. Rape carried out during attacks on villages are systematic and widespread.
The Commission said the failure of political elites to deal with security sector reform and to provide for the very basic needs of armed forces on all sides, contributes to a permissive environment in which South Sudanese women are regarded as currency.
“The Government of South Sudan has the primary obligation to end impunity for serious crimes. The Commission has noted the recent Government initiatives to address sexual violence in conflict, including establishing a special court and holding military justice proceedings,” the Commission said. “The Commission welcomes these measures, but they remain woefully inadequate given the scale and extent of crimes. The 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement offers a framework to address the drivers of conflict and sexual violence if fully adhered to.”
“It is scandalous that senior officials implicated in violence against women and girls, including cabinet ministers and governors, are not immediately removed from office and held accountable. To address this pervasive violence in conflict and other contexts, those in positions of command and other authority must promptly and publicly adopt a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy towards sexual and gender-based violence.” said Barney Afako, member of the Commission.