During times of conflict and war, women and girls are often targeted to be victims of all forms of violence. The violence they experience is not something necessarily sparked by conflict or war, as these forms of violence already existed within families, communities and the country as a whole. However, incidents of violence against women, girls and boys increases at an alarming rate during times of conflict and war. Primarily because violence, particularly sexual violence, is used as a weapon of war or rather a deliberate military strategy.
Sexual violence against women and girls is not a “spoils of war” or a “need for sexual gratification” by armed combatants who have spent months alone in the bush---as sexual violence has been conceptualized in centuries past. On the contrary, rape is often used in ethnic conflicts as a way for attackers to perpetuate their social control and redraw ethnic boundaries. Women are seen as the reproducers and care-takers of the community. If one group wants to control another group, they can do it by impregnating women of the other community because they see it as a way of destroying the opposing community.
In the 1990s, systematic rape was used in Bosnia so that women would give birth to Serbian babies while in Rwanda systematic rape against Tutsi women occurred during the genocide. (Medecins Sans Fronteire, “Rape as a Weapon of War,” 2005) In 1971, state-backed Pakistani troops during the fight for Bangladesh's independence perpetrated rape in order that women produce Punjabi children (Bangladesh Liberation War, Emma Rebholz, Kira Compton, and Madelynne Weisberg). Thus, this demonstrates that historically, rape and sexual violence against women and girls has been a specific military strategy to sow terror and weaken the social fabric of communities. (Medecins Sans Fronteire, “The Crushing Burden of Rape, Sexual Violence in Darfur,” 2005). In some conflict settings, the collapse of the rule of law leaves justice systems unable to deal with allegations of rape, while in many other conflict settings women feel too exposed to stigma or reprisals to accuse their attackers.
Photo from Rape as a Weapon of War, Robin Hammond
During the ongoing conflict here in South Sudan, rape has been perpetrated by armed combatants in the conflict impacted areas of the country---as evidenced by the data collected through the GBV Information Management System (GBVIMS). The GBVIMS is a tool that humanitarian actors working on GBV prevention and response interventions use to understand the types of GBV experienced by survivors and who is perpetrating these acts as reported by the survivors themselves. The GBVIMS only uses non-identifiable information so that the survivor is always protected. By understanding the types of GBV and who is perpetrating these acts, the tool also allows GBV actors to design prevention and response interventions in order to improve service provision to GBV survivors in South Sudan (and other countries that are using it).
GBV in South Sudan also occurs in what is known as Protection of Civilian (PoC) sites around the country. These sites provide refuge to internally displaced persons (IDPs)where they are provided with temporary shelter and food rations. PoCs and refugee camps are not desirable places to live and the limited resources available to meet a high demand causes stress among IDPS as well as within families. Compounding the fact that IDPS cannot leave these sites and have limited food, they also are limited in their earning capacities. IDPs, especially men, become very angry and frustrated with their inability to provide for their families.
Photo is from Caught in the Middle: Civilian Protection in South Sudan
GBV is also occurring in areas that are not as impacted as the primary conflict areas of Unity, Upper Nile State and Jonglei (to the northwest) and more recently in Western and parts of Eastern Equatoria (the south). Conflict causes a number of economic and social stresses on intimate partners and families. The conflict has triggered an economic crisis that has led to a lack of employment, educational and vocational opportunities and food insecurity. Consequently, limited resources and opportunities place stress on intimate partners and families resulting in violence being used to express frustration and anger. Women and girls are most often the recipients of this violent expression of frustration and anger. In South Sudan, physical assault is the most commonly reported type of GBV in South Sudan and accounts for 50% of all the reported GBV cases and is often perpetrated by intimate partners, many of whom are unemployed.
Whether a woman or girl is raped at gunpoint or forced into sexual slavery by an occupying force, the sexual violence she and her children experience will shape not just their own but their community's future for years to come. Humanitarian actors working on preventing and treating GBV understand the long term consequences of war and the sexual violence associated with it. Thus we focus on prevention methods that focus on education and coping mechanisms that equip individuals, families and communities with the tools to prevent and recover from the conflicted related violence and GBV traumas they are experiencing. The best that any of us can do is advocate to our government representatives to not forget that the conflict continues in South Sudan. Government officials have a responsibility to exert more pressure on South Sudanese warring parties to complete the peace process as soon as possible. If they do not, they should expect many more South Sudanese to become part of the flood of refugees hoping to enter Europe and the United States--and then the forgotten conflict will be upon our doorstep once again.
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