The US Embassy has called on the South Sudan transitional government to demonstrate its commitment to preventing gender-based violence (GBV), ensuring that perpetrators of GBV are held accountable and supporting the violence survivors.
The Embassy on Monday expressed the sentiments in a press release on Monday, marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
“In South Sudan, conflict routinely fuels rape, sexual harassment, abduction, physical harm, and other forms of violence against women and girls,” reads the press release.
The World Health Organization estimates that 45 percent of South Sudanese women between the ages of 15 and 64 experience physical violence in their lifetime.
The US, the Embassy said, stands with all in South Sudan who work to advance gender equality and to support the rights of women and girls.
The position, it added, reflects the enduring foundational values that drove US engagement with the people of South Sudan in the decades leading up to the country’s independence and continues to this day.