Turning Awareness Into Action: Addressing SGBV in Yeri

Increasing Community Awareness and Improving Response

Yeri is a payam in Mvolo County, approximately three hours' drive from Mundri Town, South Sudan. Despite significant protection concerns, particularly related to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) as identified during NP’s assessment in April 2019, there is a lack of protection actors in the area. The assessment revealed that early marriage, early pregnancy, and domestic violence were the most common forms of violence at the household level. Barriers to addressing SGBV include limited awareness of referral pathways and financial obstacles that hinder survivors' access to justice services.

To address these concerns, in October, NP's Mundri team visited Yeri to conduct focus group discussions with women, men, and schoolteachers, aiming to better understand the prevalence and impact of SGBV in the community. Based on these discussions, NP returned in November to implement awareness-raising activities and workshops focused on SGBV prevention, response, and strengthening referral pathways to improve survivors' access to justice.

Key activities included:

• A workshop for the Mother’s Union to address SGBV and discuss women's roles in the community.
• A workshop for law enforcement, judiciary, and soldiers' representatives to improve understanding and responses to SGBV.
• An awareness-raising activity for 61 children (34 boys and 27 girls) using songs, games, and discussions to teach about "good and bad touch" and the dangers of early marriage and pregnancy.

During the SGBV workshop with the Mother’s Union, one of the women said that this was the community’s first time openly discussing SGBV, highlighting the need for a formal women’s group to advocate for women's rights and recognition within the community.

NP also met with the acting commissioner to discuss the financial barriers survivors face when seeking justice. Survivors are often required to pay fees to various chiefs, totaling up to 3,000 SSP, and an additional fee to police for filing Form 8, which grants access to healthcare services. While the commissioner acknowledged these challenges and agreed to address them, fees for Form 8 were still being collected as of January 2020. NP provided a memorandum clarifying that Form 8 should be free of charge and committed to continued advocacy for fee elimination at local and state levels.

The team also engaged with a clinical officer from a health partner to discuss services for SGBV survivors. Although the officer and a colleague had recently received training on case management, they lacked essential resources such as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) kits to provide adequate care. The officer emphasized the need for ongoing community awareness about the importance of seeking health services within 72 hours of an SGBV incident.

Before leaving Yeri, a participant from the Mother’s Union training expressed appreciation for NP's efforts, saying,

“We appreciate the organization of Nonviolence for training us on SGBV prevention because indeed these things happen among our community in Yeri but we request them that next time it should be more than two days because as we can all see today the training was very good and enjoyable but the time was not enough.” 

Looking ahead, NP plans to return to Yeri for extended SGBV awareness and response workshops, continued advocacy for the removal of police fees for survivors, and follow-up on justice and referral pathways. Additionally, NP has raised the need for psychosocial support services for survivors with the Minister of Gender and in SGBV working group meetings, reaffirming its commitment to enhancing SGBV response throughout the state.